The tallest Paralympian in history was forced to sleep on the floor in Paris. Now, he has a bed that fits him
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, the tallest Paralympian in history, has had to sleep on the floor at the Paris 2024 Games after not having a bed he’s able to fit in, but the situation “has now been resolved,” the IPC told CNN.
Mehrzadselakjani – better known as Mehrzad – is two meters, 46 centimeters (eight-foot-one-inch) tall and is the joint-second tallest man in the world.
He is a vital cog in Iran’s dominant men’s sitting volleyball team, having played a key role in winning gold in the last two Paralympic Games.
His height comes with special requirements though. Iran’s head coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani said that while Mehrzad had a specific bed made for him in Tokyo three years ago, a similar construction wasn’t made in Paris this time around.
As a result, Rezaeigarkani said, Mehrzad had to “lie on the floor.”
“He doesn’t have a special bed, but he has got the most important aim in his mind,” Rezaeigarkani said to Olympics.com. “It doesn’t matter for him whether he will lay on the floor or he’s not going to have enough to eat. In any way, he has the mind to become a champion.”
However, after news of Mehrzad’s struggles came out, Paralympics organizers told CNN Sport that the “matter has now been resolved.”
“The beds in the Paralympic Village are modular in design,” the IPC said in a statement. “The Paris 2024 team received a request from the Iranian NPC and responded by providing two extensions to the standard bed. No further request was made to Paris 2024 by the Iranian NPC, but the two extensions were not sufficient. Additional extensions have now been made available.”
CNN has contacted the Iranian NPC for comment.
Mehrzad was diagnosed with acromegaly at a young age – a condition causing excess growth hormone. As a teenager, a pelvis fracture caused by a bicycle accident stopped his right leg from growing, making it shorter than his left and making it difficult to walk.
Sitting on the floor with his arms raised, Mehrzad reaches a height of over six feet, making him an invaluable asset on the volleyball court.
Mehrzad is a vital component in Iran’s recent success in sitting volleyball, although the nation has historically been dominant in the men’s format for years now.
Of the nine Paralympic Games since Seoul 1988, Iran has taken home the gold medal in seven of them.
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