Paralympics' tallest ever athlete competes in sitting volleyball

Morteza Mehrzadselakjani is more than 8-ft. tall. (The Sun)

The tallest ever athlete to compete at the Paralympic Games is Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, who stands at 8ft1in, and he is the star of sitting volleyball for Iran.

Not only is the 29-year-old the tallest athlete to ever compete in the history of the games, but he is also the tallest person in Iran.

The Iranian was diagnosed with acromegaly, which is a rare condition resulting from excess growth hormone, leading to abnormal bone growth.

He is known as Mehrzad for short and he usually gets around on crutches or a wheelchair and fans were amazed after he stood out during the opening ceremony at Rio.

At the age of 15 he suffered from a serious accident on his bicycle and he fractured his pelvis, which stopped his right leg from growing.

This makes walking difficult as his left leg is now six inches longer than his right.

Mehrzad was spotted on television five years ago after a coach saw great potential in him due to his outstanding height advantage.

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