Abbas Zandi

Abbas Zand^[1] more known as Abbas Zandi (Persian: عباس زندی; 3 June 1930 – 30 October 2017) was an Iranian bastani practitioner, freestyle wrestler, and coach. Zandi competed in three Olympic Games: 1948 in London, 1952 in Helsinki, and 1956 in Melbourne.^[2]

Abbas Zandi

Personal information
Born	(1930-06-03)3 June 1930 Tehran, Imperial State of Persia
Died	30 October 2017(2017-10-30) (aged 87) Tehran, Iran
Sport
Sport	Freestyle wrestling, koshti pahlavāni
Achievements and titles
National finals	Pahlevan of Iran (4): 1328, 1332, 1333, 1334
Medal record Representing  Iran Men's freestyle wrestling World Championships 1954 Tokyo 79 kg Asian Games 1958 Tokyo +87 kg

Early life and career

Zandi was born in the Sang-e-laj neighborhood of Tehran. When he was 14, he began training in wrestling at Babr Club, coached by Abdolhossein Feyli and Hassan Sa'dian. At 17, he began representing Iran in international competition. At 18, Zandi won an annual tournament to become the youngest Pahlevan of Iran. He would become Pahlevan three more times between 1950 and 1953.^[2] He won gold medals at the 1954 World Wrestling Championships at 79 kg and the 1958 Asian Games at 87+ kg. Zandi died on October 30, 2017, at the age of 87.^[3]