This is what you call fulfilling your calling. Without sitting volleyball, a variant of the ball sport for disabled people, what would have been the fate of Morteza Mehrzadselakjani? Tragic, because the Iranian, now a national star, suffers from acromegaly – an excess of growth hormone – and is 2m 46 tall and lived in seclusion until he was 22 in Roudsar, on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
On the pitch, the world’s second tallest man is impossible to miss. When sitting and raising his arms, he can carry the ball almost 2 metres. His playing height was measured at 1.96 m during these Games. Handy when the net is set at a height of 1.15 m and to inspire fear in daring opponents trying to block it.
On Friday 6 September, he was the top scorer in the final (27 points) played in front of 4,000 enthusiastic spectators at the Paris Nord Arena in Villepinte (Seine-Saint-Denis). Iran beat Bosnia-Herzegovina three sets to one (22-25, 30-28, 25-16, 25-14), becoming Paralympic champion for the eighth time in thirteen editions of the men’s tournament. Voted best player in the world in 2019, 2021 and 2022, Morteza Mehrad – his nickname – has already won three gold medals.
His “gigantism” is not his only handicap. At 15, after a bicycle accident, he fractured his pelvis and his left leg stopped growing, causing a gap of 15 centimetres with his right. Sometimes forced to use a wheelchair, he relied on his teammates to stand during the anthems before kick-off.
“It is the lethal weapon”
A victim of ridicule during his youth, his life changed when Iranian coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani discovered him in 2011 on a television programme dedicated to people who break the norm.
The talent of someone who has participated in all of his country’s Paralympic titles (from 1988 to 2024, as a player and coach) changes Morteza Mehrad’s life. Five years later, he became a Paralympic gold medallist in Rio.
“I was very depressedhe said a few years ago. I felt like I was in prison and I was afraid to go out because of the way I looked. Volleyball changed my life. » From being the butt of ridicule, he becomes a top athlete and finds a use for his extraordinarily large body. “The physique that I considered very bad helped me a lot and I knew how to take advantage of it”he told AFP in July, after a training session in Tehran.
In Paris, he sometimes saved himself, for example by playing only one set in the opening match against Ukraine or two in the semi-finals against Egypt. Frail, he underwent knee surgery in 2023.
At the heart of his team’s attack, Morteza Mehrad is unstoppable. Cyrille Chahboune, a player for the French volleyball team (which finished last in the Paralympic tournament) spoke on behalf of The world the phenomenon of his sport: “He positions himself at the net, takes the balls and is the lethal weapon.” The ‘Bleus’ had designed a plan in case of a match against Iran: “We thought about it, there is no point in going to the block when he is attacking. You have to stay back to protect yourself. »
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In Paris, as is often the case, the three-time Paralympic champion made headlines for his uniqueness. The best athlete ever to compete at the Paralympic Games – according to the International Paralympic Committee – nearly fell asleep on the floor. The Organising Committee had to make a third extension to his modular cardboard bed. The first two, initially requested to welcome him, were not enough. Upon his return home, Morteza Mehrzadselakjani’s fate will see him earn a new custom-made bed, in his king size.
