Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Tallest Living Man in America - Igor Vovkovinskiy
setsrecord
ROCHESTER, Minn., USA -- Igor Vovkovinskiy,
a 27-year-old man from Rochester, Minnesota, stands an incredible
7 feet, 8.33 inches tall - setting the new record for the
Tallest
Living Man in America. Photo: In this Sept. 12, 2009 file photo,
Igor Vovkovinskiy, 27, of Rochester, Minn, standing 7-feet
and 8-inches tall, listens to President Barack Obama, not
pictured, during a health insurance reform rally in Minneapolis.
/ AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari (enlarge
photo)
The new Tallest
Living Man in America beat out the previous Guinness
world record-holder, Virginia deputy sheriff George Bell,
by a third of an inch.
Igor is originally from Ukraine but
came to Minnesota when he was 7-years old with his mother,
Svetlana, to seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic for a pituitary
gland disorder that caused his rapid growth at a young age,
Igor also suffers from diabetes.
“It feels good to finally have proof
that I am the Tallest Man in America. Everyone is always asking
me if I’m certain that I’m the tallest and I was never able
to prove it. Now that I have this certificate to hang on my
wall, I could finally show it.” Igor Vovkovinskiy said of
the acknowledgment.
With a size 24 10-E shoe, the he Tallest
Living Man in America faces challenges daily including
fitting into cars, finding comfortable shoes and squeezing
into desks at the Minnesota School of Business where he is
pursuing a degree in paralegal studies.
He's found solace in organizations like
the Tall Club International where he's made lasting friendships
with other tall people like himself.
It seems that the new he Tallest
Living Man in America is a big supporter of President
Barack Obama and has been seen in many presidential rallies
in the past.
Igor now joins the World's Tallest Living
Man, Sultan Kosen (Turkey), who measures in at 8 feet 1 inch
and the World's Tallest Man Ever, Robert Wadlow (US) who stood
an amazing 8 feet 11.1 inches tall in the Guinness World Records.
