Heroic wrestler Gholamreza Takhti is dead. Rana Rahimpour goes back to that terrible night in January 1968, hearing from perhaps the last person to see him alive. We speak to his teammate Abdollah Movahed about the immediate impact of his death, and then take a closer look at his relations with Mohammed Reza Shah.

Everything in Iran is political, and sport is no exception. To understand why, Rana takes us through the story of Mossadegh, Iran’s National Front, and how the wrestling houses were co-opted by forces much bigger than themselves. She explores Takhti’s own political leanings, as wrestling, politics and power all combine in an explosive and volatile situation, and the many ways that the regime exerts influence on its athletes. Takhti is unstoppable in the ring, but outside of it, gradually everything that makes him a great man is being taken away.

You can listen to this podcast in Persian here: https://www.bbc.com/persian/podcasts/p0703hz7