“SUPER SPIKE!” the PA announcer bellows in the electric party atmosphere of the North Arena on the outskirts of Paris.
With his arms outstretched, Morteza Mehrzad, sitting on the ground in his red top and black pants, lets out a roar to celebrate another punishing blow that immediately ends the rally.
It is just one of 27 points, the most accumulated by any player, that helped Iran win a record-extending eighth Paralympic sitting volleyball title after defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final by three sets to one (22-25, 30-30) were defeated. 28, 25-16, 25-14). When Mehrzad stood up to shake his opponent’s hand at the end of the match, the net came up to his midriff. His teammates reached his sternum.
Mehrzad lands another winner (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
At 2.46cm tall (taller than most doors and longer than most beds), the 36-year-old is the second tallest man in the world.
Born with gigantism, his disability has caused some problems. Mehrzad was sleeping on the floor in the Paralympic village. The Iranian team requested an extended bed before the Games, but the two extensions of a standard athletes’ bed were insufficient. A third extension was made and his coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani and Paris 2024 organizers confirmed this week that the issue had been resolved and Mehrzad was sleeping comfortably in the village.
Indeed, it was Rezaeigarkani – who has won eight gold medals in his 10 Paralympic Games, first as a coach and then as a player – who saw Mehrzad on an Iranian television program featuring people with physical abnormalities. The coach contacted Merhzad – who uses a wheelchair after injuring his pelvis in a cycling accident at age 16, which halted the growth of his right leg – and introduced him to the sport.
Mehrzad rarely went out in public, Rezaeigarkani said in previous interviews, because his height and facial features — the latter caused by acromegaly, a hormonal disorder — attracted strange looks.
“I was a depressed man and my life changed completely because of volleyball,” Mehrzad said Sporty. Rezaeigarkani believes the sport gave him hope.
Mehrzad was a key player in Iran’s pursuit of the gold medal (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
After standing out in public and receiving unwanted attention, Mehrzad now stands head and shoulders above the rest thanks to his sporting prowess.
Clearly, there are significant advantages to having such a tall player on your team. While sitting, Mehrzad has a maximum reach of 1.96 m (6ft 4 in). His hand extends 81cm above the height of the net, allowing him to generate tremendous power as he kills points with winning shots. As an outside hitter, that is his job.
However, Mehrzad has to make sure his body is in the right position, and such a large frame requires agile movements. Sweat dripping down his face, he pushes his lower body to the ground, his legs outstretched, quickly up and down the field, reading the quick change of play.
Mehrzad’s reach extends 81cm above the height of the net (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
What was most striking on Friday night, besides his menacing peaks, is that when changing ends or at timeouts, Mehrzad always moved in a shuffling manner and rarely got up. “Morteza is the best striker and one of the most important players in the world,” his best friend and fastest server of the final (73 km/h), Meisam Ali Pour, said through an interpreter after the match. “He knows what he has to do, but he can’t do it alone.”
Silver medalist Stevan Crnobrnja of Bosnia considered Mehrzad simply one of Iran’s greatest players. They accepted that they couldn’t do much about his height advantage, but focused on neutralizing others who were crucial in setting him up. If one of his teammates doesn’t set or pass the ball, Mehrzad is helpless.
Ali Pour, who had contributed more points (39) than Mehrzad (28) going into the final, emphasized the need for teamwork. “If all the best players in the world play together, they will not be able to beat Iran,” he said.
Mehrzad towers over his teammates (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Expressive and lively on the field, off the field, Mehrzad, who was not available for an interview, is shy, reserved and does not like attention.
His teammates and coach see him as just one member of a very united group. “My team has twelve stars, Morteza is one of them,” said coach Rezaeigarkani. “We didn’t have Morteza before and we won’t (always) have him in the future.”
When asked what the secret of Iran’s success is, Rezaeigarkan replied: “Work, work, work.”
(Top photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)