The world's tallest and shortest people reunited after six years and had breakfast together in California, as per a report in the Independent. Sultan Kosen from Turkey is 8 feet and 11 inches tall and India's Jyoti Amge stands at approximately two feet. Both of them last met in 2018 for a photo shoot in Egypt. The two were invited to Egypt by the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board to help boost tourism in the country.
Several pictures from their recent meeting highlight the height disparity, thrown into even greater contrast as they posed together have gone viral on social media. Both share a height difference of more than six feet. In one of the images, the woman is seen just a little taller than Mr Kosen's shoe, as she stands smiling next to it. In another picture, Ms Amge is seen barely reaching Mr Kosen's shoulder despite being seated on a chair.
According to the Guinness World Records, Mr Kosen is tall enough to reach a basketball hoop without jumping. He became the world's tallest living man in 2009, overtaking China's Xi Shun, who stood a mere 7 feet 9 inches. He also holds the record for the largest hand on a living person. His hand measures 11.2 inches from the wrist to the tip of his middle finger. Mr Kosen's height is a result of a condition known as pituitary gigantism.
He couldn't attend school because of his medical condition and was told he was too tall to play basketball. Later, he resigned himself to the life of a farmer in order to support his family. However, that all changed in 2009 when he was officially recognized as the tallest man on Earth. "After that day, I was born," he said in an old interview.
Sultan's life changed for the better over the following decade. Most importantly, he received free life-saving surgery to stop his endless growth. His pituitary gland was damaged by a tumour, leading to excess production of growth hormone. Interestingly, his huge growth spurt didn't start until he was 10 years old.
The record-holder has visited 127 countries and is now a cultural ambassador for Turkiye. He was also part of a cooking show on Romanian TV before travelling to the USA.
Meanwhile, Ms Amghe stands only 62.8 centimetres tall and was born on December 6, 1993. Ms Amge hails from Maharashtra's Nagpur and has travelled to many different countries since being given her world record.
Her height, on the other hand, is due to a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia. She stands shorter than the average 2-year-old child. She made a guest appearance on reality TV show Big Boss in 2012. Her official website says Ms Amge participated in the fourth season of "American Horror Story: Freak Show" in August 2014.
