Matt Ghaffari is one of USA’s most decorated wrestlers, but to reach the top he had to face the giants that would strike fear and timidity in the rest of us.
As a youth he fled his homeland of Iran to come to America, learn a new language, make new friends, adapt to a new culture and eventually earn his way to compete for his new country at the highest levels.
He is perhaps best known for his epic matches with the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time, Aleksander Karelin. 9-time World champion and 3-time Olympic gold medalist, Aleksander was a physical giant that Matt would repeatedly face in the finals. His love of family and country were the only things stronger.
Matt holds three American records – the most the World and Olympic medals, including 4-time World Cup Champion, and 9-time Pan-American Champion.
He is a 2-time US Olympian and 2-time Olympic alternate; he won two World silver medals, a World bronze medal and an Olympic silver medal from the 1996 games in Atlanta, GA.
In 2003, he was inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of fame followed by an induction into the Cleveland Sate Hall of Fame in 2006. More recently, he was inducted as Distinguished Member into the most prestigious National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.
Matt serves as a public voice to champion wrestling causes, including helping to reinstate Cleveland State University wrestling. He is passionate about developing leaders, inspiring people to overcome obstacles, and the importance of teamwork.
Mr. Ghaffari is now a successful businessman and accomplished business development & sales leader.
He has co-authored two books that are available on Amazon.
The Olympic Dream and Spirit: Volume 3
Contact:
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Linkedin – linkedin.com/in/matt-ghaffari-mba-2003005/