Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, an extraordinary athlete and the towering centerpiece of Iran’s men’s sitting volleyball team, is set on achieving a momentous three-peat at the upcoming 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, CNN reports.
With two gold medals already to his name, Mehrzad is determined to add another to his illustrious career.
Standing at an impressive 2 meters and 46 centimeters (8 feet 1 inch), Mehrzad is the tallest Paralympian in history and among the joint-second tallest men in the world. At 36 years old, he has played a pivotal role in Iran’s sitting volleyball success, contributing significantly to the team’s back-to-back gold medal victories in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
Despite his dominance on the court, Mehrzad’s journey to the national team has been anything but conventional. He only began playing sitting volleyball for Iran six months before the Rio Games after being discovered through a television program.
Mehrzad’s sporting path is shaped by his diagnosis of acromegaly, a condition that leads to excessive growth hormone production. As a teen, a bicycle accident resulted in a pelvis fracture that caused his right leg to stop growing, creating a disparity in leg lengths that made walking difficult.
Reflecting on how sitting volleyball has transformed his life, Mehrzad expressed,
“I turned limitations into opportunitiesm” Mehrzad sai when speaking about his path in sports.
When seated on the floor with his arms raised, Mehrzad’s height extends to over six feet, making him a major asset on the volleyball court. In addition to his Paralympic gold medals, he has been recognized as the sport’s best player in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
Despite his accolades, Mehrzad remains humble and acknowledged the contributions of his teammates.
“I appreciate being called the best in the game, but I’m not. Each of our guys is the best … and we make the best team in the world,” he said.
Iran has a storied history in men’s sitting volleyball, having won gold in seven of the nine Paralympic Games since the sport’s debut at the 1988 Seoul Games. With such a legacy, Mehrzad and his teammates face considerable pressure as they prepare to compete in Paris, aiming to secure a third consecutive gold medal for their nation.
