“SUPER SPIKE!” the PA announcer bellows inside the electrical get together environment of the North Area on the outskirts of Paris.
Arms outstretched huge, Morteza Mehrzad, sitting on the ground in his pink prime 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, essentially the most gathered by anyone participant, that helped Iran win a record-extending eighth Sitting Volleyball Paralympic title after beating Bosnia and Herzegovina within the last by three units to at least one (22-25, 30-28, 25-16, 25-14). When Mehrzad briefly stood to shake arms 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 degree together with his sternum.
Mehrzad slams dwelling one other winner (Michael Reaves/Getty Photos)
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 workforce requested an prolonged mattress earlier than the Video games however the two extensions supplied 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 problem 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 individuals 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 acquired him into the game.
Mehrzad hardly ever went out in public, Rezaeigarkani has stated in earlier interviews, as a result of his top and facial options — the latter attributable to acromegaly, a hormonal dysfunction — attracted unusual appears.
“I used to be a depressed man and my life modified fully with volleyball,” Mehrzad advised Esportivo. Rezaeigarkani believes the game gave him hope.
Mehrzad was a key participant in Iran’s gold medal pursuit (Michael Reaves/Getty Photos)
Having stood out in public and obtained 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 workforce. 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 successful photographs. As an out of doors hitter, that’s his job.
Mehrzad has to verify his physique is in the correct place, nonetheless, 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 court docket swiftly, studying the short interchange of play.
Mehrzad’s attain stretches 81cm above the peak of the online (Michael Reaves/Getty Photos)
In truth, in addition to his menacing spikes, what stood out most on Friday night time is that Mehrzad, on the altering of ends or time-outs, all the time moved by shuffling and infrequently acquired to his ft. “Morteza is the most effective spiker and one of the crucial vital gamers on this planet,” stated his greatest good friend 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 considered Mehrzad as simply one other one among Iran’s nice gamers. They accepted they might not do a lot about his top benefit, however centered on neutralising others who had been essential in setting him up. If one among his team-mates doesn’t set or cross 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 most effective gamers on this planet play collectively, they will be unable to beat Iran,” he stated.
Mehrzad towers above his team-mates (Michael Reaves/Getty Photos)
Expressive and animated on the court docket, off the court docket, Mehrzad, who was not obtainable 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 workforce has 12 stars, Morteza is one among them,” stated 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 photograph: Michael Reaves/Getty Photos)
