According to the Independent, the world’s tallest and shortest persons met for breakfast in California after six years apart. Sultan Kosen of Turkey and India’s Jyoti Amge have a height difference of over six feet. They last met in 2018 for a photo shoot in Egypt. The Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board invited the two to Egypt to assist enhance tourism there. Several photos from their recent meeting, accentuating the height discrepancy and adding to the contrast as they posed together, have become popular on social media. One of the photographs shows the woman standing only a bit taller than Mr Kosen’s shoe, smiling next to it. In another photo, Ms Amge barely reaches Mr Kosen’s shoulder despite being seated on a chair.
He was officially recognized as the tallest man on Earth in 2009
According to Guinness World Records, Mr. Kosen is tall enough to reach a basketball hoop without jumping. In 2009, he surpassed China’s Xi Shun, who stood only 7 feet 9 inches tall. He also has the record for the biggest hand on a living person. His hand spans 11.2 inches from the wrist to the tip of his middle finger. Mr Kosen’s height is the result of a disorder called pituitary gigantism. He was unable to attend school due to his medical condition and was informed he was too tall to play basketball. Later, he surrendered himself to working as a farmer to support his family. However, that all changed in 2009 when he was officially recognized as the tallest man on Earth. “After that day, I was born,” he said in an old interview.
Over the next ten years, Sultan’s life improved significantly. Most critically, he underwent free life-saving surgery to halt his uncontrollable development. A tumour injured his pituitary gland, resulting in excessive growth hormone production. Interestingly, his massive growth spurt did not begin until he was ten. The record-holder has travelled to 127 countries and is now a cultural ambassador for Turkey. Before moving to the United States, he appeared on a Romanian television cookery show. Meanwhile, Ms Amghe is only 62.8 cm tall and was born on December 6, 1993.
Ms Amge is from Nagpur, Maharashtra, and has travelled to several places since receiving her world record. Her height, on the other hand, is due to a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia. She stands shorter than the average 2-year-old child. She made a guest appearance on the reality TV show Big Boss in 2012. Her official website says Ms Amge participated in the fourth season of “American Horror Story: Freak Show” in August 2014.
