Morteza Mehrzad | |||||
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Personal information | |||||
Full name | Morteza Mehrzadselakjani | ||||
Nationality | Iranian | ||||
Born | Kelachay, Gilan, Iran | 17 September 1987||||
Height | 2.47 m (8 ft 1 in) [1] [2] | ||||
Weight | 140 | ||||
Spike | 201 | ||||
Block | 195 | ||||
Volleyball information | |||||
Position | Outside hitter | ||||
Number | 2 [3] | ||||
Career | |||||
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National team | |||||
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Medal record |
Morteza Mehrzadselakjani (born 17 September 1987) is an Iranian volleyball player who plays in the national sitting volleyball team of and Baran Kerman (Mes Shahr Babak). With a height of 247 cm, he is known as the tallest living man in Iran and Middle East and the second tallest living man in the world. He was able to win two gold medals at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics , two times champion title of World Para Volleyball Championship three times gold medalist of Asian Games with Iran men's national sitting volleyball team and also he won the Golden Ball for the best player in the world in 2019,2021 and 2022.
He is part of the Iran men's national sitting volleyball team. He has acromegaly, [4] and has won the Gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, 2018 Sitting Volleyball World Championship and 2020 Summer Paralympics In Tokyo and 2022 Sitting Volleyball World Championship in Sarajevo with Iran men's national sitting volleyball team. [5] At club level he played for Samen Al Hojjaj Sabzevar in 2015.
Mehrzad was born with a rare medical condition called gigantism which is triggered by excessive growth hormone production in the brain's pituitary gland. He was measured over 6 feet and 2 inches at the age of 16. [6] 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. [6] [7] He started to feel depressed after the accident [8] and began using a wheelchair, crutches and a walking stick following the accident.
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. [9] 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. [6] [10] 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. [6] Subsequently, he was also selected for the national team to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, which marked his Paralympic debut. [11] [12]
In the 2016 Summer Paralympics sitting volleyball final, he was the match top scorer with 28 points for Iran. [13] Iran eventually secured a gold medal after defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–1 in the final. [14] [15] He was also the second best spiker during the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
In 2018, he helped Iran win the 2018 Sitting Volleyball World Championship, securing Iran's first world title in 8 years, after a 3–0 victory over defending champions Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final. [12]
In the 2022 Summer Paralympics sitting volleyball, Mehrzad won his second Gold Medal at the Paralympic Games after Iran defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 in the semi-final and Russia 3–1 in the final.
In 2022, he won his second Sitting Volleyball World Championship with Iran's national team in the 2022 Sitting Volleyball World Championship, after a 3–0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final.
Volleyball at the 2004 Summer Paralympics was staged at the Helliniko Fencing Hall from 21 to 27 September. Two sitting volleyball team events were held, one for men and one for women. The sport is performed sitting down, on a smaller court with a lower net.
Volleyball at the 2008 Summer Paralympics was held in the China Agricultural University Gymnasium from 7 September to 15 September. Two sitting volleyball team events were held, one for men and one for women.
Volleyball at the 2012 Summer Paralympics was held from 30 August to 8 September at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London. Two sitting volleyball team events were held, one for men and one for women.
Hadi Rezaeigarkani is an Iranian sitting volleyball coach, and former player with world and Paralympic medals, the most proud sitting volleyball coach in the world, currently as the head coach of Iran's men's sitting volleyball team. He was born in Mashhad, Iran.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national sitting volleyball team represents Bosnia and Herzegovina in international sitting volleyball competitions and friendly matches. Bosnia is one of the dominant forces in sitting volleyball worldwide, alongside Iran. The team won a bronze medal, during ECVD European Championships in 1997 in Tallinn. It took nearly two decades later for the nation to win a medal outside the sport of sitting volleyball when Amel Tuka won bronze during 2015 World Championships in Athletics.
The Iran men's national sitting volleyball team represents Islamic Republic of Iran in international sitting volleyball competitions and friendly matches. The team is one of the dominant forces in on the court worldwide. In foreign media, team Iran is colloquially known as dream team of sitting volleyball.
Iran competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
China has qualified to send athletes to the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. Sports China competed in include blind football, archery, boccia, cycling, goalball, judo, paracanoeing, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.
Bosnia and Herzegovina competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016
Volleyball at the 2016 Summer Paralympics was held from 9 September to 18 September at the Riocentro Pavilion 6 in Rio de Janeiro. Two sitting volleyball team events were held, one for men and one for women.
Asim Medić is a Bosnian male Paralympic sitting volleyball player. He is part of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics winning the gold medal. On club level he played for Sdi Spid in 2012.
Nizam Čančar is a Bosnian male Paralympic sitting volleyball player. He is part of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics winning the gold medal. On club level he played for Oki Fantomi in 2012.
Emma Clare Wiggs, is a British paracanoeist and former sitting volleyball player, who competes in the KL2 classification of paracanoe. She won gold at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in the KL2 category, gold and silver at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in VL2 and KL2 categories, and is also an eleven-time world champion. As a volleyball player she was part of the Great Britain team that competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.
Bahman Golbarnezhad was an Iranian Paralympic racing cyclist competing in C4 classification events and an earlier powerlifter. During his powerlifting career, he won twelve gold medals and one silver medal in international competitions. Golbarnezhad had represented Iran in two Summer Paralympic Games, first in 2012 in London and later in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. He was the only Iranian cyclist at the 2016 Paralympics. He was a veteran of the Iran–Iraq war.
World Para Volleyball Championship, was played first time at 1983.
Two sitting volleyball team events were held at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, one for men and one for women. They were held at the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo, Japan.
Iran competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 August to 5 September 2021. This was their ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Paralympics since 1988.
Bosnia and Herzegovina competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 August to 5 September 2021. This was their seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Paralympics since 1996.
Iran is scheduled to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France, from 24 August to 5 September 2024 . This was their ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Paralympics since 1988.
The 2022 Sitting Volleyball World Championships – Men's event was the 13th edition of this tournament. For the first time, the competition was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The winners secure a ticket to the 2024 Summer Paralympics. Iran were the defending champions and successfully defended their title triumphing over Bosnia and Herzegovina in straight sets.
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