Iranian athlete Khalil Tarighat-Peyma aka ‘Khalil the Eagle, whose name was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records for lifting a 2-ton elephant, has died at the age of 98.

Tarighat-Peyman, known as ‘Khalil the Eagle’ had been hospitalized for 36 days in an organ transplant hospital and died of old age, leaving the Iranian sports community in mourning.

Born in 1924 in Shiraz, he managed to lift a weight of 450 kg by teeth at the age of 30.
He emigrated to Ireland in 1971 at the invitation of the Faust circus. He then went to the UK’s Jerry Cattle Circus, where he lifted the elephant.

cHe ontinued to perform athletic performances in more than 37 countries.

He was famous for bending heavy metal beams, scrolling, support feats and getting ran over by cars. In his best performing days in Iran, he was able to attract a crowd of as much as 50,000 people in a single event in the 1960s.

After long journey of about 20 years, Khalil settled down in Italy where he founded a circus called “Iran and Italy”. He has performed athletic performances in more than 37 countries. He came back to Iran in 1991 after being invited by the Iranian government, along with sixty performers working for him in a circus.

By Iran Front Page