Career
Salimi currently holds the world record in the snatch with 214 kg in his weight class. Salimi became the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the +105 kg category on August 7, 2012 with a 208 kg snatch, a 247 kg clean and jerk for a total of 455 kg. Leaving national team
After 2012 London Olympic games he and other Olympic medalists of Iran protested against Iran"s national weightlifting team head coach Kourosh Bagheri for using offensive language in training and declined to attend national team exercises.
As a result of a heavy argument on a live television debate between Salimi and Kourosh Bagheri, the Iranian Weightlifting Federation dismissed Salimi and other weightlifters, who later on sided by Salimi in public and did not invite any of the London medalists for the 2013 Asian Weightlifting Championships and 2013 World Weightlifting Championships.