The
world's tallest man, Turkey's Sultan Kosen, who stands 2.51 metres
(eight feet, nine inches) tall, today came face to face -- well, face to
shin -- with the world's shortest man Chandra Bahadur Dangi from Nepal,
who measures just 55 centimetres (21 and a half inches).
The
little and large act met as people across the globe tried to break all
manner of weird and wacky world records, including banging heads,
catching spears and throwing thongs.
Kosen, a 31-year-old farmer,
stooped down to shake hands with 74-year-old Dangi opposite the Houses
of Parliament in London. He told AFP that meeting Chandra was "amazing",
although he admitted bending the long, long way down for photographs
was difficult.
"I was very interested how tall he was going
to be, about how far up my legs he would go, and of course once I saw
him I realised how tiny he was. I do have problems with my knees so if I
stand too long I do get tired. Even though he is short and I am tall,
we have had similar struggles throughout our lives and when I look into
Chandra's eyes I can see he is a good man."
As
well as being the tallest man, Kosen's hands are the biggest in the
world -- an impressive 28.5 centimetres (11.22 inches) from the wrist to
the tip of his middle finger.
Meanwhile Dangi, a primordial
dwarf who makes placemats and head straps for villagers carrying heavy
loads, is the shortest adult ever certified by Guinness World Records.
He told AFP:
"I was very pleased to see the tallest man in
the world, I was curious to meet my extreme opposite. I'm so pleased to
be a Guinness record holder. Thanks to this I have visited many
countries and met many people. I really love it."
The two men met today to celebrate the 10th annual Guinness World Records Day
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