World's 2nd-Tallest Man Has No Bed at Paralympics

Morteza Mehrzadselakjani is a standout star at the Paralympics and he's not hard to spot in a crowd—at 8-foot-1, the Iranian sitting volleyball player is the second-tallest man in the world and the tallest Paralympian ever. Even while sitting, the 36-year-old measures more than six feet with his arms raised and he has helped the Iranian team reach the semifinals in its quest for a third consecutive gold medal, the AP reports. Mehrzadselakjani has acromegaly, a condition caused by excessive growth hormone, reports the Washington Post reports. The growth of his right leg slowed down after he was injured in a bicycle accident when he was 15 and it is now six inches shorter than his left leg.

This is Mehrzadselakjani's third Paralympics. He had a custom-made bed in Tokyo but in Paris, he has been sleeping on the floor, CBS News reports. "He doesn't have a special bed, but he has got the most important aim in his mind. It doesn't matter for him whether he will lay on the floor or he's not going to have enough to eat," head coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani told Olympics.com. "In any way, he has the mind to become a champion." Rezaeigarkani encouraged Mehrzadselakjani to try the sport in 2011 after he saw him on a local TV reality show. He said at that point, the man had "spent 11 years in his room, in his house, without going out" because he was stared at whenever he left his home.

Tehran Times sports journalist Masoud Hossein says the 2011 TV interview changed Mehrzadselakjani's life, with the sport bringing him out of seclusion, the Post reports. "He has played a key role in inspiring people with disability in Iran, and maybe in the world," Hossein says. In sitting volleyball, players hit over a net just under 4 feet tall, the AP notes, making it very tough for opposing teams to block Mehrzadselakjani's shots or maneuver around him. "Attacking and defending Morteza is very difficult," Brazil captain Renato Leite said Sunday after his team was defeated by Iran 75-44 in three straight sets. (More 2024 Paralympics stories.)