New Worlds Tallest Man
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Measuring a towering 8 inches taller than the previous record holder, Bao Xishun at seven feet nine inches, Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk has now officially become the world’s tallest man standing at 8 feet 5 inches tall.
Previously, the 37 year-old former veterinarian has always refused to be officially measured for the Guinness Book of Records as he detests his height and didn’t want the fame and notoriety.
Leonid Stadnyk, from the small village of Podoliantsi, Ukraine describes his height as ‘God’s biggest punishment for me’ and refuses to look in a mirror.
Leonid’s first years 14 years of life were rather contrary to his lofty present height — in fact, his nickname in school was ‘titch’ due to his short stature, being one of the smallest boys in his class.
At the age of 14 he underwent an astonishing growth spurt after surgery on a benign brain tumor which stimulated his pituitary gland, which is responsible for stimulating the production and overproduction of growth hormones.
The condition is known as acromegalic gigantism. Leonid Stadnyk went through a growth spurt of 12 inches within two years, reports Daily Mail
Forced to sleep on two beds joined together lengthwise, Leonid weighs about 450 pounds, has 17 inch feet, and gargantuan palms measuring more than a foot in diameter.
Despite determined attempts by the Guinness Book of Records to officially measure him for the past three years, Stadnyk had always refused until he met London growth expert, Professor Michael Besser from the London Clinic Centre for Endocrinology.
Besser was surprised to find that the brain tumor which had haunted Stadnyk for more than 20 years had naturally died off, saving Stadnyk’s life and putting an end his peculiar growth spurt.
Professor Besser’s discovery was filmed for a documentary on the Discovery Channel in December last year. The revelation led exposure to the world of his amazing height after it was measured officially in Kiev.
Stadnyk has been added to the record books in America, but the 2008 Guinness Book of Records won’t be published in the UK until September 28 2007.
Bao Xishun, former world’s tallest man, with his 5′ 6″ wife
Leonid Stadnyk currently lives with his mother in a confined 3-room, one-storey home in Ukraine where he has to contort his frame to enter through a doorway.
Leonid was forced to quit working on a cattle farm six years ago after his feet became frostbitten when he couldn’t afford to buy a pair of specially crafted size 27 shoes which cost $200 — the equivalent of seven months’ worth of his pension — for his enormous feet.
Professor Besser said, “He doesn’t want to be famous. He lives like a hermit and he says he has done nothing to court fame and wants nothing to do with the Guinness Book of Records. His recovery from the tumor has been remarkable.”
Bao Xishun shakes hands with He Ping Ping who claims to be the world’s shortest man
The former record holder Bao Xishun was recognized as the world’s tallest man last year, beating the previous record holder, Radhouane Charbib of Tunisia, by a mere 2 millimeters.
The tallest man ever was American Robert Pershing Wadlow, born in Alton, Illinois on February 22 1918, last measured at 8 feet 11.1 inches tall on June 27 1940.
Leonid Stadnik Tallest Man in the World
This news cast is in Deutsch. (Thanks to Sidzilla for correcting me. ) If an English one becomes available I’ll update this post.
Related stories:
Tallest Man on Earth Meets Worlds Shortest Man
He’s a bit big isn’t he lol
Well….we would all certainly have to look up to him wouldn’t we. Can you just imagine being that size…..and as for clothes and footwear it must be a nightmare!!! There must be so many problems associated with being that tall, just think, he’d have to go a swimming pool just for a bath!!
I think I’ll stay a midget at 5’10″ lol
What’s fascinating to me is how Leonid appears to be proportionally average. That’s to say, if you put him in a room with giant furniture, he’d look average.
Many of the super-tall are very skinny and have elongated facial features, but he appears to have avoided those aspects of it.
I hope he’s able to maintain his hermit-like lifestyle if that’s what he desires, but I’d sign him up for my football team if I had one.
Colin, clothing would definitely be a nightmare. I have a difficult time myself to find pants with a 35″ inseam, and have to pay thru the nose when I do find them.
Leonid couldn’t even afford the shoes he needed, so imagine what means for him for clothing in general. It seems that he’s on a disability pension from how I interpret things.
You’re right Chuck, he does appear to be proportionately built. That hadn’t even occured to me. I have a friend that’s 6′ 7″, and you’d never know he was tall without seeing him standing next to someone. The first time I stood next to him I was taken aback by his height, as he’d never appeared tall to me.
I hope for Leonid’s sake he’s able to remain reclusive as well after all of this publcity. Even his home town info has been released to the public at large.
He would make for a killer football player tho! Someone you’d definitely want to have on your side
hi Deborah
that is tall?….changing light bulbs ….sitting down….yikes….and I thought it was great having a son at 6′ 6″ who can change lightbulbs standing :]
That amazes me too Kim!
What a drag to be that tall!
>I can only assume the language this news cast is in is Ukranian. If an English one becomes available I’ll update this post.
Lol! It’s Deutsch, not Ukranian. Never heard? )
Tom, I was tall as a kid, but never out of the ordinary in height. I suffered a lot of verbal abuse from kids in school, even from friends in jest. It’s not a picnic to be above average when kids can be so cruel. I can well imagine how Leonid must feel, and I understand fully how he hates his height.
But it would probably surprise you to know that I’m only 5′ 7″. Many young women tower over me now. It’s even considered to be desirable these days.
Hahaha, my bad Sidzilla! Thanks for clearing that up for me
Oh, I feel so sorry for this poor guy. It must be very tough to be so tall. I’ve sometimes thought it’s tough being tall as a girl, butt that def. beats me!
I remember once being in Scotland and a Scottish bagpiper looked at me from toe to top and couldn’t help himself, he kept repeating: You are so tall! You are so tall! A lot of times! It was very funny.
Still I’m not that tall (176 cm = 5.77 ft), butt the Scottish women are comparing to me obviously… *giggles*
Lifecruiser, I guess it’s all in a manner of how we choose to accept a statement, and yours is very positive. I was used to comments such as that stated with a derogatory implication to it. To this day I shop for the lowest heel in a shoe that I can find.
You’re barely a half in taller than I am! I’m actually 5′ 7.25″. But many see me as being taller than that because I’m very slim with long legs (so they say).
But in today’s terms, we’re actually rather average in height.
… as Chuck noticed Leonid is proportionally build and he is not skinny. Look at his jaw-bone it is not alongated. All this means he is “just” tall he is not sick. Usually being enormously tall is kind of sickness.
I think that being unique is like having different opportunities and challenges in life, It has not be a nightmare It can be even fun it depands on human personality and (unfortunately) enviroment.
Very well spoken Wojtek. It’s all what we make of it and allow it to be … we do have the power to control how we allow things to affect us and not give in to the negativity. Sometimes it just takes a little practice
Must be really annoying when your that tall.
[...] achievement — whose real name is Rathakrishnan Velu – is projected to be accepted into the Guinness World Records within 2-3 weeks once the information has been verified, said his manager Anna [...]
HOW DO YOU FIT IN THAT LITTLE CAR
With some difficulty Julien
how does Bao Xishun have sex with his 5’6 wife?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
lol his wife probley goes on top “you know”… btw in 1897 there was a guy that was reported to be 9’3 but, they never put on recourd how tall he was… but i mean imagine being a giant… probley where the english got there foak lor on giants… from ppl like this…
hihiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!sh
shorter thn me
Have a good luck and health Leonid & Bao!
I don’t know how many of you check this anymore but the title has been handed back to Bao, since Leonid didn’t consent to being measured by a new system.
im 8″2 and i think i would be short compared to you!!!! im only 17
i think that clothes mite be a problem for the guy bt y’all shld lay of him as much as we torcher him by our comments the more he thinks that god has punished him… so just give the guy a break
Have a good luck and health
Hi all and particularly Deborah who posted several messages. I heard about Leonid a couple of years ago on french news (TV5). I was impressed not by his size but his dignity.Although he is poor,cannot afford shoes fitting his giant feet (leading him to loose his job), he refused to join a “freak tour”,to be publicized for his uniqueness. In a world of trash TV,reality show and other American Idol ,in which everyone would kill for a minute of fame, this man hermit life, rejection of limelight is a lesson of self respect.
I usually don’t post message in chat room but i was so touched by him that it sadden me to read most of your posts.It sound very puerile to me to talk about changing bulb and cost of clothes. He is so much than that, he show us a way to be that was blinded by our avidity,cupidity.
Excuse me for my english, i am not a native speaker and worse, a french one !
Hi Jean,
You’re right, Leonid has displayed a lot of class since he’s been brought under the limelight and received much scrutiny.
While it might sound lighthearted in saying this, it isn’t intended as such. I have long legs myself and know how difficult and frustrating it can be to find clothes that fit. Specialty shops do have longer lengths that fit, but on a limited budget, it’s usually out of the question. I guess a person has to be in this position to understand what an issue it really can be. From an outsider’s perspective, it may sound trivial.
For not being your first language, you do very well Jean
im taller now im 8″4 now
Zdrastvutye! I’m wonder of that anybody before, like 1000 years before, was more tall than Robert Pershing Wadlow…like maybe 3 meters or more? Maybe many of tall people are in history who we don’t know about because of not measure. Sorry…my english is not well, but I am trying learning more english. Anotoly.
lol these people are soooooooooooooo tall!!
i cant believe it!!!
this is soooo cool. lol
who agrees??? x
iam 16 and iam allmost 7ft tall and it suck i have size 20shoes they do cost alot
TO TALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow i thought i was tall because im 12 and already 5’10 i have the hardest time trying 2 find pants and long sleeve shirts but i love being tall and i have no problem changing a lightbulb standing on my tiptoes
Wow, I am only 5’0″, that would be amazing to meet someone that tall. It amazes me how many shapes and sizes we all really do come in.
Lets look at the positive side of being that tall if he were to be a basketball player, I think he will not be needing much skill to make as much impact as Michael Jordan did in the game cos all they have to do is get the ball to him and he dunks in the ball without having to jump.
Ask for deby with all her natural features as expressed, am so sorry she might be spending even more on bodyguards to keep a lot of guys out of her way.
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ASof today on the morning “Today Show” they stated the a young man from Turkey was the tallest at 8 ft 1 inch. This would indicate a discrepancy.
he is so tall i cant imagine about that.if im with him i am just his hips or thighs. by the way i think he is proudabout himself. I am also proud of myself to the Filipinos.
They so tall…weird and I read an article that they will get short age because of their size. I wish they get the best life.
i think i will be pretty tall when i get older i am 5 foot 8 and i just turned 13 a month ago my doctor says i am still having a growth spurt so i might be taller by now. nobody makes fun of me and why should they, tall people are still people
i like being tall its fun but with my body type it is hard to find jeans and shirts that are not to short
i might be 5 foot 9 i think im going to go measure myself
nothing special
wow how i would like to c im anyway hes gt no problem if his cat is stuck in a tree
No way is he 8’5″ he looks like 6’11″.