Iran were huge gold favorites in sitting volleyball. They are reigning Paralympic champions, and the big star is called Morteza Mehrzad. For the 36-year-old, he stands out from both fellow players and opponents. It is simply impossible not to notice him. During the Olympics, news wrote about the French volleyball player Victor Wembanyama. With his 2 meters and 24 centimeters he towered over the competitors, and the picture below went viral. HIGH BASKETBALL STAR: Victor Wembanyama. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein / Reuters Compared to Mehrzad, Wembanyama is too small to count. The Iranian is 2.46 or 2.47 meters high, depending on which source one uses. He was born with gigantism – a condition that causes the body to produce a lot of growth hormone. That makes him the tallest athlete in the world. And the world’s second tallest living person. Only Turkish Sultan Kösen, at 2.51 metres, towers higher above the ground. Had to sleep on the floor During the Paralympics, the height has created both problems and advantages. To take the problem first: During the first period of the Games, Mehrzad sleeps on the floor in the athletes’ village. The beds the athletes were allocated by the organizer were simply far too small for the tall Iranian. – It has been taken care of now, assures Iran’s coach Hadi Rezaei to news and says that everything is now in place so that Mehrzad can also get a good night’s sleep. NATIONAL TEAM: Iran is by far the best national team in the world in sitting volleyball. Photo: AFP Because he needs it. Iran has completely dominated sitting volleyball in the Paralympics, winning gold on Friday. The team only lost a single set during the games. news was one of the media that tried to get an interview with Mehrzad after the match against Germany, but he rolled straight through the press zone without exchanging glances with the journalists. – He is a shy person and does not like to do interviews. He is very down-to-earth, an Iranian journalist explained to the Paralympics website. Discovered on TV But coach Rezaei can tell news more about the star player. – The first time I saw him was on national TV in Iran. He was in a program about unusual people, says Rezaei, who then got an idea. He used to play sitting volleyball himself, and after his career was over he started coaching the national team. – I saw the potential in him, and wanted to give him a chance to do para sports. And then I realized that he was going to make sure we win, smiles the coach. Photo: AFP When Morteza was 15 years old, he got into a bicycle accident. He sustained a fracture, which caused his right leg to stop growing. It is therefore 15 centimeters shorter than the left, and the volleyball player uses a wheelchair and crutches as a result. – When he was 12 years old, nobody cared about him. Now that he plays sitting volleyball and people from all over the world know him, he gets respect, says Rezaei. – With no chance of stopping him, Iran has not lost a match in sitting volleyball for around ten years. At least that’s what Heiko Wiesenthal, one of Germany’s leading players, claims. He noticed that it is not just about stopping an opponent at almost 2.5 metres. BLOCK: Morteza reaches almost two meters above the ground while sitting. Photo: AP – It is very difficult to play against him. He can smash the ball 1.90 meters above the ground, while my block is 1.5 meters above the ground. Then there is no chance of stopping him. It’s cool to meet him, but also very difficult, says Wiesenthal. – Do you try to avoid and get into a duel with him on the field? – It is good for us when he is not on the field, but Iran has many good players. The pictures you didn’t get to see on TV: Here’s what goes wrong for Markus Rooth 00:43 Full cheers when Ødegaard commented on the baby news 00:50 Grandmother in tears after bronze medal 00:49 Gets competitor’s help before the start: – It doesn’t get more beautiful 00:46 Show more Published 07/09/2024, at 11.55 Updated 07.09.2024, at 11.59
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The tallest athlete in the world causes a stir – had to sleep on the floor – Paralympics Paris 2024
