Some people have to work hard to set records and be listed in the Guinness books World Records (GWR). But for some, they are born very different.
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This week we feature Sultan Kösen. This gentleman is a Turkish man born on December 10, 1982 who currently holds the Guinness World Record for being the tallest person alive today.
Better to say this, the farmer man is 251 cm (8 ft 2.82 in) tall.
Kösen's growth was due to medical conditions known in technical language as gigantism and acromegaly, caused by a tumor affecting the pituitary gland which produces hormones that are very important in controlling body growth. Due to this condition, he uses crutches to help him walk.
He was born in a Kurdish family in the Southeastern city of Mardin, and is the seventh tallest person in the world in history.
Biography
Kösen, a Turkish citizen of Kurdish ethnicity, was born in Mardin, a city in Southeast Turkey.
Kösen was unable to complete school due to his height; instead he did farming for laborers in the fields. When he was interviewed, he said, he is proud of his condition because his height helps him to see things far away and to be able to help his family with household chores such as installing ceiling lights and window coverings. What bothers him is not finding clothes that fit him, especially his 126 cm (49.61 in) long legs and 97 cm (38.19 in) long arms, or shoes that fit him, as well as finding a small car that he can fit in without problems.
Starting in 2010, Kösen received Gamma Knife treatment (a treatment that uses electric rays to kill tumor cells) at the Academy University of Virginia Medical School for a thyroid tumor he had, and was given medication to control growth hormone. It was confirmed in March 2012 that the treatment was highly effective in stunting Kösen's growth.
In October 2013, Kösen married Merve Dibo, born in Syria, who is ten years his junior. In an interview, he said that his biggest problem with his wife is communication, because he spoke Turkish but his wife only spoke Arabic.
On 13 November 2014, as part of the Guinness World Records Day, Kösen met, for the first time, the shortest man in the world, Chandra Bahadur Dangi, at an event held in London, United States.
In 2014, Kösen joined the acrobats of the Magic Circus of Samoa and participated in various shows held in various parts of the world.
The world records he holds
On 25 August 2009, Guinness World Records found Kösen to have a standing height of 246.4 cm (8 ft 1 in) in his country, surpassing former world record holder Bao Xishun who stands at 236.1 cm (7 ft 8 + 15⁄ 16).
Kösen also holds the current Guinness record for having the largest hands at 27.5 cm (10 + 7⁄8 in), and the second largest feet at 36.5 cm (14 + 3⁄8 in) (left foot) and 35.5 cm (14 in) (right leg).
On 25 August 2010, according to the University of Virginia, a height of up to 254.3 cm (8 ft 4 + 1⁄8 in) had been confirmed by doctors, who said that this could be Kösen's actual height, reduced due to scoliosis spine) and inability to stand properly.
On 9 February 2011, Kösen was re-measured by Guinness World Records and found to be 251 cm (8 ft 2 + 7⁄8 in) tall. They also measured his arms which were found to be 28 cm (11 in), a result that broke his previous record.
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