Today Wetall invites you to discover Sultan Kösen, the world’s tallest living man! Enjoy!
Who is the world’s tallest living man?
The world’s tallest living man is named Sultan Kösen. He was born on December 10, 1982, in Mardin, in southeastern Turkey, into a farming family whose parents and sisters were of average height.
How tall is the world’s tallest living man?
Sultan Kösen, the world’s tallest living man, stands at 8’3″ (2.51 m). He has held this title since 2009, when his height was officially certified by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Sultan’s childhood
After a typical childhood, he experienced an extraordinary growth spurt around the age of 10.
Due to his extreme height and the lack of accommodation at school, Sultan decided to drop out and become a farmer with his family, who were struggling to make ends meet.
Why is he so tall?
Sultan Kösen’s incredible height is due to a condition called “pituitary gigantism”, which is a disease resulting from an overproduction of growth hormone released by the pituitary gland. This generally occurs when a tumor develops at the same level as the gland.
Why did Sultan Kösen stop growing?
Following his title as the world’s tallest man in 2009, Sultan gained significant media attention. This allowed him to be noticed by the University of Virginia in the United States, which offered him surgery. The goal was to undergo Gamma Knife treatment to remove his tumor. In addition to this procedure, carried out in 2012, he was prescribed medication to control his growth hormone levels. He is today considered cured.
How does the world’s tallest man feel about his height?
Sultan seems very happy being tall and says he enjoys a normal life. He loves playing video games with his friends, for example. For him, being tall allows him to help his family with everyday tasks like changing light bulbs or hanging curtains.
On the downside, he gets frustrated by the difficulty of finding clothes that fit, especially for his 4’2″ (1.26 m) legs and his 38-inch (97 cm) arms. The same goes for his feet, which measure 14.4 and 14 inches (36.5 and 35.5 cm). He also notes that getting in and out of cars is a real challenge.
That said, his fame allows him to enjoy life more fully, with all-expenses-paid travel and custom-made suits.
What does Sultan do for a living?
Since being named the world’s tallest man by the Guinness Book of World Records, he has been appointed as a cultural ambassador for Turkey to help boost tourism in his region.
He has also received offers for roles in Hollywood films, landing his first part in 2016 in the film Achieving the Impossible.
Since 2012, Sultan has also been a member of the Magic Circus of Samoa, which is a traveling troupe that performs across the Pacific islands, in Tahiti, New Caledonia, and the Seychelles.
What about love?
As far back as the early 2000s, Sultan was telling the media he was looking for his soulmate. His wish was soon granted; he met Merve Dibo, who stands 5’9″ (1.75 m) and comes from Syria. Two months later, the couple were married in front of 1,500 guests and settled in Dedeköy.
In an interview, he said his biggest challenge with his wife was communication, as he spoke Turkish while she only spoke Arabic. The couple divorced in 2021, citing the language barrier as one of the main issues.
The world’s largest hands?
On top of being the world’s tallest man, Sultan also holds the record for the world’s largest hands. They measure 11.22 inches (28.5 cm) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. For reference, the all-time record for the largest hands is still held by Robert Wadlow at 12.4 inches (31.5 cm).
The world’s biggest feet?
Sultan Kösen no longer holds the record for the world’s biggest feet, though he once did, up until 2011. Since then, the record has belonged to Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernandez, whose right foot measures 15.96 inches (40.55 cm) and left foot 15.93 inches (40.47 cm).