Ali Reza Soleimani

Ali Reza Soleimani had an unusual Olympic career, especially for a wrestler, as he competed at the 1976 Olympics in Montréal, and then not again until 16 years later, at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where he carried the Iranian flag at the 1992 Opening Ceremony. In 1989 Soleimani became the first Iranian to win the World Championships in super-heavyweight freestyle wrestling, defeating American champion Bruce Baumgartner. He was also a champion in the indigenous Persian wrestling style of koshti pahlevani.