Iranians loom over Paralympic sitting volleyball competition
With one of the world's tallest people on the team, Iran is chasing its third Paralympic gold medal in sitting volleyball
PARIS (AP) — Sitting volleyball is a Paralympic sport played close to the ground: Players scoot around the court and hit over a net that stands just under 4 feet (1.15 meters). So having the world’s second-tallest man at the front of that net can make quite the difference for an already-dominant Iranian team.
Standing at 8-foot-1 (2.46 meters) and measuring over six feet (1.8 meters) seated with his arms raised, Morteza Mehrzadselakjani has helped Iran cruise to the sitting volleyball semifinals in Paris. Iran will begin the semifinals on Thursday at North Paris Arena.
The International Paralympic Committee says Mehrzadselakjani, the tallest ever Paralympian, was diagnosed with acromegaly, a condition that stems from excessive growth hormone. An injury from a bicycle accident when he was 15 caused his right leg to stop growing, and it is now 6 inches (15 centimeters) shorter than his left leg.
The Iranians have yet to lose a set in two matches, beating Brazil in three straight sets on Sunday after doing the same to Ukraine on Friday to open group play. Iran, now sitting atop its group with six points, gets one more group match against Germany before chasing a third straight gold medal in the sport. It would also be Iran’s eighth Paralympic gold since it started competing in sitting volleyball 10 Paralympics ago.
