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At 8 feet 1 inch (2.46 meters), Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, the second-tallest man in the world, has been made to sleep on the ground during the Paralympic Games in Paris. No, he hasn’t been mistreated or punished, but he hasn’t been able to find a bed in the Paralympic Village that fits him due to his unusual height.

Despite the many obstacles he faces, the 36-year-old athlete with acromegaly—a rare illness that causes abnormal growth—remains resolute.

Mehrzadselakjani’s perseverance and dedication were commended by the team’s head coach, Hadi Rezaeigarkani. “He doesn’t have a special bed, but he has got the most important aim in his mind. It doesn’t matter to him whether he will lie on the floor or he’s not going to have enough to eat. In any way, he has the mind to become a champion.”

Mehrzadselakjani was born in Kelachay, Iran, on September 17, 1987. He was diagnosed with acromegaly at a young age, which caused him to grow exceptionally tall by the time he was sixteen. His right leg stopped growing because to a pelvic fracture sustained in a cycling accident while he was a teenager, making it shorter than his left and making walking challenging.

“I have always been called the ‘tall boy’ even before joining the national team or the Paralympic Games,'” he told AFP after a training session at Iran’s Sports Federation for the Disabled in Tehran.

Because his legs vary, Mehrzadselakjani now utilises a wheelchair or crutches. In spite of these challenges, he has had a big influence on Iran’s sitting volleyball team and has been dubbed “Fatal Weapon.” He is competing in his third Paralympic Games in Paris.

In sitting volleyball, Mehrzadselakjani and his squad are trying to win their eighth Paralympic championship. Since their 1988 debut in Seoul, Iran has participated in nine tournaments and won seven of them, giving them a solid record in the sport.

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