Morteza Mehrzad stands out in a crowd. Photo / Supplied
Morteza Mehrzad stands out in a crowd. Photo / Supplied
Iran is on track for back-to-back gold medals in the men's sitting volleyball at the Paralympics and it's easy to see why.
The middle-eastern nation has dominated the sport for decades - winning six of the past eight gold medals in the men's game - but it's team has become even more unbeatable since the arrival of 2.46m colossus Morteza Mehrzadselakjani.
The 33-year-old is the second tallest man alive and quite comfortably the tallest Paralympian in history.
2.46m Morteza Mehrzad of Iran is the world's second tallest man. Photo / Getty Images
In a sport where players with a variety of ailments sit down and try to get the ball over a net that's roughly 1.15m off the floor, it's a piece of cake for Mehrzad.
Iran will meet the sport's other powerhouse Bosnia Herzegovina in the semifinals on Thursday night in a rematch of the gold medal game in Rio four years ago.
Mehrzad was the difference on that occasion after becoming involved in the sport when Iran's coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani got in contact after seeing him on a TV programme about physical disorders.
Even sitting down, when he raises his right arm it reaches a height of 1.93m - his maximum effort for a block.
When spiking — the term used to describe a forceful attacking shot to get the ball over the net — he can get his dominant hand up to 2.3m in the air. You have to pity the poor folks on the other side of the net whose job it is to try and return any of Mehrzadselakjani's serves.
Morteza Mehrzad of Team Iran competes against Fabricio da Silva Pinto of Team Brazil during the Sitting Volleyball Men's Preliminaries Pool B match in Tokyo. Photo / Getty Images
Mehrzad spikes the ball against China during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Photo / AP
After taking up the sport nine years ago, he made his international debut in 2016 and immediately started winning awards. He's only improved, continuing to dominate at the Paralympics.
While these all seem like reasons to walk around with a permanent smile on your face, it isn't all good news for the Iranian superstar.
He suffers from acromegaly, which is a medical condition that arises from the brain's pituitary gland producing too much growth hormone after the body's growth plates have closed. By the age of 16 he was already over 1.9m tall.
But people rarely get to see him standing to attention. He seriously injured his pelvis in a bike accident as a teenager, meaning he now spends significant amounts of time either on crutches or in a wheelchair.
His right leg has stopped growing, and it is about 15cm shorter than his left. The sad reality is that as much joy as he's bringing his teammates and his country in Tokyo at the moment, his height does not bode well for his long term future.
"His health is not going well. His health is currently declining because he's getting taller. I think he's still growing," said Ali Dahestani. "The first time we saw him he could walk better but now he has to walk with crutches."
Mehrzad spikes the ball as China's Xu Zengbing tries to block. Photo / AP
Despite that, now is the time to focus on the positives. Iran has won six gold medals and two silvers across the past eight Paralympics, and with Mehrzad's help, they look every chance of heading back home from these Games with some more bling around their necks.
