[4][5] He quickly showed talent in the sport, competing in Greco-Roman events,[6] and won the national championship in the 55 kg category each year from 2011 to 2013.

[7] Describing it as "hell," he later noted in Le Parisien: I was interrogated, and they beat me when I didn't know what to answer to their questions [...] The worst part was the sleep deprivation.

[7]Validezah went into hiding in Tehran for six months, while working jobs to earn money so that he could pay someone to smuggle him to Turkey.

[8] He arrived in France on 1 January 2016 and later stayed at a shelter in Le Mans, receiving political refugee status.

[9] He received an International Olympic Committee (IOC) scholarship and began training with the French national team multiple times a week.