Sultan Kösen: Tallest living man

In 2009, Sultan Kösen became the first man over 8 ft to be measured by Guinness World Records for more than 20 years.

In fact, Guinness World Records only knows of ten confirmed or reliable cases in history reaching 8 ft or more.

The part-time farmer from Turkey was found to be a towering 246.5 cm (8 ft 1 in) in height and he took the iconic title of Tallest living man.

Two years later, the 26-year-old was measured again in Ankara, Turkey, by which time he had grown to a staggering 251 cm (8 ft 2.8 in).

Growing up
Sultan was born on 10 December 1982, but he didn’t start his incredible growth spurt until he was 10 years old.

The rest of his family, including his parents and four siblings, are all average size.

Sultan’s unique growth and massive height is caused by a condition known as “pituitary gigantism”, which is the result of an over-production of growth hormone.

Growth hormone is released from the pituitary gland in the brain; if the gland is damaged by a tumour, for example, it can release too much (or too little) hormone. The effects of over-production include large hands, a thickening of the bones and painful joints.

Due to his extreme size, Sultan was never able to finish school and instead began working as a farmer to support his family.

He previously described one of the advantages of being tall as being able to help his mum out with jobs such as changing a broken light bulb and hanging curtains.

As for the disadvantages to his height, he complained about not being able to find clothes or shoes that fit and finding it extremely hard to fit into a regular-size car.

As a teenager, Sultan was signed to the Galatasaray basketball team, but unfortunately he was too tall to play. However, he remains a fan of the sport to this day.

Breaking records
Speaking at the time of his entry into the Guinness World Records family, Sultan said: “I never imagined I would be in the book, I dreamed about it, but it was still a huge surprise.”

Sultan also holds the record for largest hands on a living person, each one measuring 28.5 cm (11.22 in) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger.

He previously held the record for largest feet on a living person, with his left foot measuring 36.5 cm (1 ft 2 in) and right foot measuring 35.5 cm (1 ft 1.98 in).

During his first ever visit to London, UK, in September 2009, Sultan expressed hope that his newfound fame would change his life, and help him find a wife: “It’s really difficult to find a girlfriend. They are usually scared of me. Hopefully now that I’m famous I’ll be able to meet lots of girls. My dream is to be married.”