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World's Second-Tallest Man Dominating At The Paralympic Games

World's Second-Tallest Man Dominating At The Paralympic Games

Morteza Mehrzad, who is the tallest Paralympian in history, has been in sensational form for his country.

Max Sherry

Max Sherry

Iran's men's sitting volleyball team is on the cusp of winning back-to-back gold medals at the Paralympic Games - and there's one player in particular who has been making the team tick in Tokyo.

Morteza Mehrzad, who is currently the second-tallest man on the planet, has been in sensational form for his country.

PA

The tallest Paralympian in history, Mehrzad's sheer size and incredible athleticism make him a force to be reckoned with on the volleyball court.

According to reports, the man mountain stands at a whopping 2.46m tall.

So in a sport where the players are sitting down on the court, Mehrzad's height definitely comes in handy.

Even while seated on the ground, Mehrzad can still get his dominant right hand up to 2.3m in the air when spiking the ball.

PA
PA

But while Mehrzad seems unstoppable on the volleyball court, away from it is a different story altogether.

The Iranian star suffers from acromegaly, which is when the brain's pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone after the body's growth plates have closed.

On top of that, his right leg has stopped growing altogether and is now about 15cm shorter than his left leg.

Now, at just 33 years of age, he either walks around on crutches or uses a wheelchair to move around.

His underlying health issues are getting worse, simply because his condition means he can't stop growing.

PA

Iran, a country which has won six gold medals and two silvers across the past eight Paralympic Games, are now just two wins away from clinching another historic gold.

A tough task lies ahead of the middle-eastern nation though as they face off against Bosnia Herzegovina in a hotly-contested semi-final which could go either way.

Lucky for Iran, they've got arguably the most dominant player in Tokyo at their disposal.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Volleyball, tokyo paralympics, Paralympics, Australia