Suparwono fails world's tallest man
Indonesian Museum of Records made a formal measurement of Suparwono’s height after claims that he could be almost 8ft 10in tall.
The current record holder is Sultan Kosen from Turkey, who is 8ft 1in, while the world’s tallest ever man, the American Robert Wadlow, died in 1940 measuring over 8ft 11in.
However, after measuring Suparwono in both a lying and a standing position, the museum found that the 25-year-old was just 7ft 11in – two inches shorter than Kosen.
This makes him the tallest man in Indonesia, but does not qualify him for the Guinness Book of World Records.
"We had reports this morning including the result of measurements from a hospital which were 2.71 metres,” said museum director Ngadri. “But we have to stick to our measurement.”
Suparwono, who comes from the village of Tri Tunggal Jaya on the island of Sumatra, was first identified as a world record holder when a relative invited neighbours to take pictures of him.
He lives with his parents and earns money doing odd jobs around the village. He eats almost seven pounds of rice and 15 eggs a day.
“I started to realise my exceptional height when I was 10 years old,” he said. “At that time, I was already the tallest at my school and in my village.”
Suharto said he felt “proud” of his height, but added: “It also gives me problems because I can't live like normal people.”
Sultan Kosen of Turkey remains the official world's tallest man, at 2.47 m (8 ft 1.2 in) officially recognised by Guinness World Records in August 2009
He overtook former world record holder Bao Xishun, who stands 2.36 m (7 ft 8.9 in) tall
The world's second tallest man is believed to be Zhao Liang from Henan in China, who has been measured at 2.46 m (8 ft 0.9 in)
Robert Wadlow of Illinois, USA, was the tallest person in history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He reached 272cm (8 ft 11.1 in) before his death in 1940 at the age of 22