World's second-tallest man gets new bed after sleeping on floor for days at Paralympics

Mehrzadselakjani, commonly known as Mehrzad, learned that he had no bed when he arrived in Paris, due to his excessive height of 2.47 m. For a few days at the Paralympics, the Iranian sitting volleyball player had to sleep on the floor, according to his coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani.

"In Tokyo, yes, they have made a special bed, but unfortunately not here. He's going to lie on the floor," Rezaeigarkani told Olympics.com.

BBC reported on Tuesday that Mehrzad finally got a bed big enough for him to sleep in.

Mehrzad is the second-tallest man in the world, shorter than Turkey's Sultan Kösen who is 2.51 m tall.

In 2016, Mehrzad became the tallest athlete to compete at the Paralympics, helping Iran win the sitting volleyball gold medal. With Mehrzad in the squad, Iran defended their title at Tokyo 2020.

Now he’s aiming for the third Paralympic gold medal, after beating Ukraine comfortably in the preliminary match on Aug. 30.

"He doesn't have a special bed, but he has got the most important aim in his mind," Rezaeigarkani told Daily Telegraph. "It doesn't matter for him whether he will lay on the floor or he's not going to have enough to eat. He has the mind to become a champion."

When Mehrzad was 13, he suffered a cycling accident, which severely fractured his pelvis and limited the growth of his right leg, making it 15 cm shorter than the left. To move around, he uses a walking stick and a wheelchair.

The accident caused him not just physical damage but also depression, as he rarely went out of the house for more than a decade, until he was discovered by coach Rezaeigarkani, who believed he could be a great Paralympian with his height advantage, Express reported.