PARIS (AP) — Sitting volleyball is a Paralympic sport played close to the ground: Players scoot around the court and hit over a net that stands just under 4 feet (1.15 meters). So having the world’s second-tallest man at the front of that net can make quite the difference for an already-dominant Iranian team.
Standing at 8-foot-1 (2.46 meters) and measuring over six feet (1.8 meters) seated with his arms raised, Morteza Mehrzadselakjani has helped Iran cruise to the sitting volleyball semifinals in Paris. Iran will begin the semifinals on Thursday at North Paris Arena.
The International Paralympic Committee says Mehrzadselakjani, the tallest ever Paralympian, was diagnosed with acromegaly, a condition that stems from excessive growth hormone. An injury from a bicycle accident when he was 15 caused his right leg to stop growing, and it is now 6 inches (15 centimeters) shorter than his left leg.
The Iranians have yet to lose a set in two matches, beating Brazil in three straight sets on Sunday after doing the same to Ukraine on Friday to open group play. Iran, now sitting atop its group with six points, gets one more group match against Germany before chasing a third straight gold medal in the sport. It would also be Iran’s eighth Paralympic gold since it started competing in sitting volleyball 10 Paralympics ago.
Zubkovska makes it 5 straight golds in long jump
Ukraine’s Oksana Zubkovska’s long jump career has stretched over 17 years, but she said the fifth gold she has won since Beijing in 2008 stood out.
“Every medal I have won is very important, but this one is special because of what is happening back home,” she said. Her best five jumps exceeded the marks of any of her opponents, and her winning mark was 5.78 meters.
Zubkovska competes in the T12 classification, for individuals with partial vision impairment.
U.S. wheelchair basketball closes pool play undefeated
The United States men’s wheelchair basketball team finished pool play with a 76-69 victory over Australia. This marked the third victory for the Americans, two-time defending gold medalists who have outscored opponents 202-159 over the course of the tournament.
“We came to finish our group play strong,” said player Fabian Romo. “But our focus is quarterfinals. Now, whoever it may be, we just have to make sure that we’re ready.”
The Americans’ quarterfinal opponent depends on the outcome of matches Sunday and Monday but France is a possibility.
“If it turns out to France, what a great environment, said American veteran Nate Hinze. “I mean, it has been fantastic already. Paris is doing a fantastic job filling the stadium and making it loud. The opportunity to play a host country is always fun, we did it in (London) 2012 for a bronze medal. We did it in 2020 in Tokyo so it’s always fun to play the host country.”
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Jack Leo is a student in the undergraduate sports media certificate program at the Carmical Sports Media Institute at the University of Georgia.
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