“SUPER SPIKE!” the PA announcer bellows inside the electrical occasion environment of the North Area on the outskirts of Paris.
Arms outstretched broad, Morteza Mehrzad, sitting on the ground in his purple high and black trousers, lets out a roar to have a good time one more punishing blow which instantly ends the rally.
It’s simply one of many 27 factors, probably the most accrued by anyone participant, that helped Iran win a record-extending eighth Sitting Volleyball Paralympic title after beating Bosnia and Herzegovina within the ultimate by three units to 1 (22-25, 30-28, 25-16, 25-14). When Mehrzad briefly stood to shake fingers together with his opponent on the finish of the sport, the online got here as much as his midriff. His team-mates got here up stage together with his sternum.
Mehrzad slams dwelling one other winner (Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs)
Standing at 8ft 1in (2m 46cm) — bigger than most doorways, longer than most beds — the 36-year-old is the second tallest man on this planet.
Born with gigantism, his impairment has posed some issues. Mehrzad had been sleeping on the ground within the Paralympic village. The Iran crew requested an prolonged mattress earlier than the Video games however the two extensions offered to a regular athlete’s mattress had been inadequate. A 3rd extension was made and his coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani and Paris 2024 organisers confirmed this week that the difficulty had been resolved and Mehrzad was sleeping comfortably within the village.
Certainly it was Rezaeigarkani — who has gained eight gold medals from his 10 Paralympic video games, first as a coach after which as a participant — who noticed Mehrzad on an Iranian tv programme that includes folks with bodily abnormalities. The coach contacted Merhzad — who makes use of a wheelchair having injured his pelvis in a motorbike accident on the age of 16, stopping the expansion of his proper leg — and received him into the game.
Mehrzad not often went out in public, Rezaeigarkani has mentioned in earlier interviews, as a result of his top and facial options — the latter brought on by acromegaly, a hormonal dysfunction — attracted unusual seems to be.
“I used to be a depressed man and my life modified utterly with volleyball,” Mehrzad instructed Esportivo. Rezaeigarkani believes the game gave him hope.
Mehrzad was a key participant in Iran’s gold medal pursuit (Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs)
Having stood out in public and acquired undesirable consideration, Mehrzad is now head and shoulders above the remainder courtesy of his sporting prowess.
Evidently, there are vital benefits to having such a tall participant in your crew. When sitting, Mehrzad has a most attain of 6ft 4in (1.96m). His hand stretches 81cm above the peak of the online, permitting him to generate immense energy as he kills off factors with profitable photographs. As an outdoor hitter, that’s his job.
Mehrzad has to ensure his physique is in the appropriate place, nevertheless, and such a big body requires agile motion. Sweat dripping down his face, he pushes his decrease physique on the ground, legs prolonged, up and down the courtroom swiftly, studying the short interchange of play.
Mehrzad’s attain stretches 81cm above the peak of the online (Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs)
The truth is, in addition to his menacing spikes, what stood out most on Friday evening is that Mehrzad, on the altering of ends or time-outs, all the time moved by shuffling and infrequently received to his toes. “Morteza is the very best spiker and one of the crucial vital gamers on this planet,” mentioned his greatest pal and the ultimate’s quickest server (73km/h), Meisam Ali Pour, talking by way of a translator after the sport. “He is aware of what to do, however he can’t do it by himself.”
Silver medallist Stevan Crnobrnja of Bosnia seen Mehrzad as simply one other certainly one of Iran’s nice gamers. They accepted they might not do a lot about his top benefit, however targeted on neutralising others who had been essential in setting him up. If certainly one of his team-mates doesn’t set or move the ball, Mehrzad is helpless.
Ali Pour, who, going into the ultimate, had contributed extra factors (39) than Mehrzad (28), emphasised the necessity for teamwork. “If all the very best gamers on this planet play collectively, they will be unable to beat Iran,” he mentioned.
Mehrzad towers above his team-mates (Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs)
Expressive and animated on the courtroom, off the courtroom, Mehrzad, who was not out there for interview, is shy, reserved and doesn’t like consideration.
His team-mates and coach see him as only one member of a really united group. “My crew has 12 stars, Morteza is certainly one of them,” mentioned coach Rezaeigarkani. “We didn’t have Morteza earlier than and we won’t (all the time) have him sooner or later.”
When requested what the key to Iran’s success is, Rezaeigarkan replied: “Work, work, work.”
(Prime picture: Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs)