It was a tall order to fill.
Standing at 8-foot-1 Morteza Mehrzad, 36, is the second-tallest man in the world and the tallest athlete to ever compete at a Paralympic Games.
His height may help the Paralympian volleyball player spike the ball, but it doesn’t help him get comfy in a normal-sized bed.
The Iranian athlete — who has a rare medical condition called acromegaly, which causes excess growth — has been forced to sleep on the floor of the athletes’ Paralympic village.
Iran’s head coach Hadi Rezaei told Olympics.com that his player was provided a custom bed at the 2020 Tokyo games, but not this year in Paris.
“He’s going to lie on the floor,” the coach said.
However, Rezaei insists that the two-time Paralympic champion is not letting his sleeping conditions get in the way of the competition.
“He has got the most important aim in his mind,” Rezaei continued. “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. Morteza can be considered the best player on our team.”
Mehrzad would be leading his team to its eighth win — Iran has won seven of the nine tournaments they have competed at since their first try at Seoul in 1988.
The Paralympic Games began in Paris on Aug. 28 and will continue through Sept. 8.
The US currently has 11 gold medals, 16 silver medals and 10 bronze medals.
The issues with Mehrzad’s sleeping arrangements come after Olympic athletes went viral testing out their cardboard “anti-sex” beds.
