Today, Saturday, March 2, 2025, marks the fifth anniversary of the passing of Siamand Rahman, the champion of Asian, World, and Paralympic powerlifting.
You once said, “My medal is first for Iran, then for Ushnu…”
You once said, “When I look at the mountains around me, I wish to be a mountain—strong and unyielding.”
And you were a mountain!
On the evening of March 2, 2025, exactly five years have passed since you left us, but the name “Siamand Rahman” still brings smiles to our faces…
Even now, when the heaviest weights in the world are lifted on the grandest stages, we remember you, and sweet memories take us back to when the entire city of Ushnu gathered at the home of Kak Osman and his son, Siamand. We are transported to Rio 2016, the +107 kg category at the Paralympics…
And your iconic cry of Ya Allah echoes in our ears. The cheers of the crowd and your strength as you lifted 270 kg, 300 kg, and even 305 kg as if they were feathers…
When you conquered the 310 kg weight in your fourth attempt, it felt as though you had lifted all the sorrows from our hearts…
You electrified the arena with applause and cheers, raised the name of Iran high, and hoisted the sacred flag of our homeland at the pinnacle of history. With your final record, you created an unparalleled legend in the super-heavyweight category of the Paralympics and the world…
Siamand Rahman was born on March 21, 1988, in Ushnu. Despite being affected by polio and physical limitations, he never stopped moving or smiling, both in his childhood and beyond.
Reflecting on his memories, he once said, “Until I was 11 or 12, much of my time was spent in hospitals and surgeries… Although I looked different from other kids, I had a good relationship with my family, brothers, cousins, and friends. It wasn’t easy, but I went to school with crutches. I even played table tennis and soccer with the neighborhood kids. We studied, played pranks, and were always happy. I knew I had great strength. I arm-wrestled and tested my power…”
At the age of 20, with no prior experience in para powerlifting, Siamand took a test and was accepted by coaches. In his first national championship, he won a silver medal—the first and last silver of his short but impactful 31-year life. From then on, all the gold medals in Iran, Asia, the world, and the Paralympics in the super-heavyweight category bore the name Siamand Rahman.
The boy who, every few months, increased his record by about 20 kg. After lifting 120 kg and joining the national team, he quickly prepared for the World Para Powerlifting Championships in the United States.
At the 2008 New Jersey competition, he broke the junior world record by lifting 172.5 kg and became a world champion. This was Siamand’s first gold medal in his debut international competition outside Iran.
Although Siamand’s legendary record of lifting 310 kg at the Rio 2016 Paralympics remains unforgettable, perhaps London 2012 was the turning point in his life. It was a grand stage he experienced for the first time after many international competitions.
There, he lifted 291 kg, breaking the record of his friend and former teammate Kazem Rajabi, and won his first Paralympic gold medal.
After securing his second Paralympic gold and breaking records at Rio 2016, he went on to win his third consecutive gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta and his third world title at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan.
Life plays strange games:
“Just as you look,
It’s time to go.
Again, the same old story!
Before you know it,
The moment of departure becomes inevitable.
Oh…
The eternal regret and sorrow!”*
Nur-Sultan was the last stage where Siamand, Iran’s ever-smiling hero and the world’s strongest disabled man, lifted weights.
Though he was hopeful of setting another legendary record and securing his place at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, aiming for his third Paralympic gold, he left us in March 2020, leaving his family, friends, and fans in disbelief. He left us with memories, honors, and unbreakable records…
Poem by the late Dr. Gheysar Aminpour
