TALKING ABOUT DEDICATION?
Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, the world’s second-tallest man and two-time Paralympic champion, didn’t mind sleeping on the floor as long as he had his eyes on the goal—to win the 2024 Paralympic games in the sitting volleyball category.
“In Tokyo [2020], yes, they have made a special bed, but unfortunately not here [at Paris 2024],” the team’s head coach, Hadi Rezaeigarkani, told Olympics.com.
“He’s going to lie on the floor,” he added.
Despite the lack of a custom-made bed fit for someone of his stature, the Iranian athlete, known as Fatal Weapon in his home country, remained unbothered as his eyes gleamed with determination on the task at hand: winning.
“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. In any way, he has the mind to become a champion,” his coach said.