Nationality: Türkiye
Inducted: 2024
Notable Record(s):
- Tallest living man
- Largest hands on a living person (male)
An ICON because...
Perhaps one of the most iconic record holders in the history of Guinness World Records, Sultan Kösen was first recognized as the tallest man living in 2009.
Standing at an impressive 246.5 cm (8 ft 1 in), Sultan's statuesque height is due to a growth condition known as "pituitary gigantism": the result of an over-production of growth hormone from the pituitary gland in the brain.
He was the first man over 8 ft to be measured by Guinness World Records in over 20 years and, once measured again two years later, he was standing at an incredible 251 cm (8 ft 2.8 in).
Sultan's parents and four siblings show an average size, and his incredible growth spurt didn't start until he was 10 years old.
Ever since his record was recognized, Sultan has reached international fame: he became a Hollywood star, appeared in the Italian TV show Lo Show Dei Record, and received a life-saving medical treatment that stopped his growth.
