USA: Standing 8 feet 1 inches tall, world's tallest man, Turkey's Sultan Kosen, walks among Manhattan's skyscrapers

Record ID: 746647

  • Title: USA: Standing 8 feet 1 inches tall, world's tallest man, Turkey's Sultan Kosen, walks among Manhattan's skyscrapers
  • Date: 23rd September 2009
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 21, 2009) (AGENCY POOL) SULTAN KOSEN WALKING AND WAVING TO NEW YORK CROWD KOSEN TOUCHING BROADWAY STREET SIGN PHOTOGRAPHERS KOSEN TOUCHING BROADWAY STREET SIGN KOSEN WALKING IN TIMES SQUARE STUART CLAXTON OF GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS MEASURING KOSEN MEASURING TAPE SHOWING 243 CENTIMETERS (UNOFFICIAL) (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) SULTAN KOSEN, WORLD'S TALLEST MAN, SAYING: "I'm really proud that I'm the world's new tallest man, but I'm also proud that Turkey's been able to take the title." KOSEN WITH INTERPRETER (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) SULTAN KOSEN, WORLD'S TALLEST MAN, SAYING: "No, no one's jealous in my family actually. I'm really proud that where ever I go, people like me and are interested. They want to take photos; they show interest." PAN FROM FEET TO HEAD OF KOSEN CLOSE UP OF KOSEN'S HANDS, ALSO THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) SULTAN KOSEN, WORLD'S TALLEST MAN, SAYING: "I just want to go and see all the famous places in New York, and take some photographs so it can be something I can remember." 2010 GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS WITH KOSEN'S ENTRY (SOUNDBITE) (English) STUART CLAXTON, SPOKESMAN FOR GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS, SAYING: "Well, Guinness World Records launched actually a campaign to find the world's tallest men all over the world. And, we had reports coming in from Turkey about very tall basket [ball] players and so forth, but we had reports of Sultan Kosen, but was interesting about him when we went actually to verify it was that he was actually taller than previously stated, and we were surprised that he was in fact suddenly and quite out of the blue the world's tallest man. So, a little bit of pro-active research and a little bit of luck goes a very tall way, I guess." KOSEN HOLDING GUINNESS WORLD RECORD CERTIFICATE KOSEN WALKING AWAY FROM TIMES SQUARE
  • Embargoed: 8th October 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA30LEPJ9WOK1F2O7MGIQUWTNF6
  • Story Text: The world's tallest man, Sultan Kosen, stopped traffic in New York's Times Square on Monday (September 21).
    Not since King Kong has someone the size of the 26-year-old from Turkey hit the Big Apple. Standing 8 feet 1.2 inches (2.47 meters), Kosen overtook former title holder, Bao Xishun of China, who is 7 feet 8.9 inches (2.36 meters) tall, earlier in 2009, when his height was verified.
    "I'm really proud that I'm the world's new tallest man, but I'm also proud that Turkey's been able to take the title," Kosen told Reuters, after an unofficial measurement for the crowds in Times Square.
    The record features in the new edition of the Guinness Book of World Records where Kosen actually holds two other titles with the world's largest hands and feet.
    For Guinness, finding Kosen was a happy surprise when they launched their global search for the tallest men in the world.
    "We had reports coming in from Turkey about very tall basket [ball] players and so forth, but we also had reports of Sultan Kosen," said Stuart Claxton, spokesman for Guinness Records.
    "But what was interesting about him, when we went actually to verify it, was that he was actually taller than previously stated, and we were surprised that he was in fact suddenly, and quite out of the blue, the world's tallest man," said Claxton.
    Kosen, who's extreme height is due to a tumor in his pituitary gland which was removed in 2008, appreciates the recognition that goes with his record and wanted to make the most of his first trip to the States.
    "I just want to go and see all the famous places in New York, and take some photographs so it can be something I can remember," said the world's tallest man, as he walked away from the stunned crowds and bemused cabdrivers in Times Square.
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