G2K Fact

The world's tallest man is Ukrainian

Did you know that the world's tallest living man is Leonid Stadnyk from Podolyantsi in Ukraine? He is 36 years old and is 253 centimeters tall (according to the Guiness World Records Book as of 2006). 

The condition Mr. Stadnyk suffers is officially called acromegalic gigantism. Mr. Stadnyk started to grow rapidly when he was 14. He had a brain surgery in order to remove a tumor but a piece has been left. After the operation, a small organ located in the skull called pituitary gland started to over-produce the growth hormone.

Mr. Stadnyk has a chance to beat the all time record as he still continues to grow. This potential achievement is, however, not too good for him. Living on a ridiculously low pension and working on the family's land, he doesn' have sufficient income to buy new clothes or shoes to keep up with the increasing height. Not that his size is widely available - shoes 60 are not commonly on the racks at Intertop. Mr. Stadnyk was therefore very happy when a group of Ukrainian businessmen presented him with a pair of shoes measuring some 19 inches.