Morteza Mehrzad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Morteza Mehrzad
Morteza Mehrzad Selakjani.jpg
Personal information
Full nameMorteza Mehrzad Selakjani
NationalityIranian
Born (1987-09-17) 17 September 1987 (age 34)
Rudsar, Gilan, Iran
Height2.46 m (8 ft 1 in)[1][2]
Volleyball information
PositionOutside hitter
Number2[3]
Career
YearsTeams
2015–Samen Al Hojjaj Sabzevar
National team
2016–Iran Iran sitting volleyball team
Medal record
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Sitting volleyball
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Sitting volleyball
Asian Para Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Jakarta Sitting volleyball

Morteza Mehrzad Selakjani (Persian: مرتضی مهرزاد سلاکجانی, born 17 September 1987, in Rudsar) is an Iranian sitting volleyball player, currently playing as an outside hitter.[4] He is the tallest man in Iran (2.46m), the tallest paralympian in history and currently the joint second tallest man alive in the world just behind Sultan Kösen of Turkey.[5][6] He made his maiden Paralympic appearance representing Iran at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and Iran at the 2020 Summer Paralympics

He is part of the Iran men's national sitting volleyball team. He has acromegaly,[7] and has won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro , 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakrata , 2018 Sitting Volleyball World Championship in The Hague and 2020 Summer Paralympics. In Tokyo with Iran men's national sitting volleyball team.[8] At club level he played for Samen Al Hojjaj Sabzevar in 2015.

Biography[]

Mehrzad was born with a rare medical condition called acromegaly which is triggered by excessive growth hormone production in the brain’s pituitary gland after the body’s growth plates have closed. He was measured over 6 feet and 2 inches at the age of 16.[9] When he was 15 he had a bicycle accident which caused a serious pelvic fracture. The accident stopped his right leg from growing, leaving it about 15 centimeters shorter than his left leg.[9][10] He started using a wheelchair, crutches and a walking stick following the accident.

Since that accident, Mehrzad is believed to have been in isolation, with very few friends and was hesitant to socialise with others due to his unusual height and disability.[4] He also revealed that he was suffering from depression before starting to play sitting volleyball.

Career[]

His talent was spotted and identified by Iran national head coach Hadi Rezaei in 2011 after watching a television program which talked about unusual and differently able talented people.[11] Hadi quickly got in touch with the television network to inquire about Mehrzad who was also one of the disabled talents to have participated in the program.[9][12] Hadi convinced and encouraged Mehrzad to play sitting volleyball.

He was selected for Iran's national team in March 2016 after undergoing training sessions at various regional clubs in Iran and made his international debut in 2016 at the Paralympics qualifiers.[9] Subsequently, he was also selected for the national team to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, which marked his Paralympic debut.[13][14]

In the 2016 Summer Paralympics sitting volleyball final, he was the match top scorer with 28 points for Iran.[15] Iran eventually secured a gold medal after defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 in the final.[16][17] He was also the second best spiker during the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

In 2018, he helped Iran win the 2018 Sitting Volleyball World Cup, securing Iran's first world title in 8 years, after a 3-0 victory over defending champions Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final.[14]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Shpigel, Ben (12 September 2016). "At 8 Feet Tall, This Paralympian Sat Down and Started Getting Noticed". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  2. ^ "'Still growing': World's tallest athlete blows minds at Paralympics". Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  3. ^ "مرتضی، از دیدار با علی کریمی تا طلای المپیک" (in Persian). Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  4. ^ a b Shpigel, Ben (2016-09-12). "At 8 Feet Tall, This Paralympian Sat Down and Started Getting Noticed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  5. ^ "گزارشی ازمرد غول‌پیکر والیبال ایران/ورزشکاری که همه را متعجب کرده" (in Persian). 12 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Meet Iran's sitting volleyball ace, the tallest Paralympian in history".
  7. ^ Davies, Gareth A. (13 September 2016). "Paralympics' tallest ever competitor: 'My life has changed playing sitting volleyball'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  8. ^ "Towering over opponents, Iranian giant Mehrzad begins journey to summit of sitting volleyball". rio2016.com. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d Decent, Tom (2021-09-01). "World's second-tallest man chasing gold for Iran". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  10. ^ 2021 - 10:40am (2021-09-01). "World's tallest athlete towers over Tokyo". news. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  11. ^ "Sitting Volleyball MEHRZADSELAKJANI Morteza - Tokyo 2020 Paralympics". .. Retrieved 2021-09-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Sitting volleyball full of 'miracles' for Iran's Mehrzadselakjani & Salehihajikolaei". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  13. ^ "Eight-feet tall athlete is the biggest at the Rio Paralympics". Stuff. 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  14. ^ a b "Morteza Mehrzadselakjani - Sitting Volleyball | Paralympic Athlete Profile". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  15. ^ "IR Iran are Golden in Rio! > World ParaVolley". World ParaVolley. 2016-09-18. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  16. ^ "Paralympic gold medal my best memory: Morteza Mehrzad". Tehran Times. 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  17. ^ "Another chapter for Iran-Bosnia rivalry in sitting volleyball at the Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2021-09-02.

External links[]


Stub icon

This biographical article relating to volleyball in Iran is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Stub icon

This biographical article related to sitting volleyball is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""