World's tallest man standing at over 8ft tall meets the shortest living woman

20 February 2024 , 11:54

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Sultan Kosen and Jyoti Amge have a six-foot height difference (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

The world's tallest man and the world's shortest living woman have reunited six years after photos of them both in front of the pyramids in Egypt went viral.

Sultan Kosen stands at a staggering 8ft 3in tall, while Jyoti Amge is just a tiny 2ft tall in comparison. The pair met up in Irvine, California, on Monday where they posed for pictures together.

Sultan earned his Guinness World Record title for "Tallest Living Man" in 2009, while Jyoti took the crown as "Shortest Living Woman" in 2011. With a six-foot height difference between the pair, they cut striking figures when they previously posed by the pyramids in Cairo back in 2018.

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Sultan measures over 8ft tall while Jyoti stands at just 2ft tall (Anadolu via Getty Images)

The pair previously met up in Egypt to pose in front of the pyramids in a bid to boost tourism (Anadolu via Getty Images)

41-year-old Sultan and 30-year-old Jyoti met for the photoshoot in Egypt where they posed in front of the Giza Pyramids for a campaign to revive the struggling tourism industry in the country. Both of their unusual statures are the result of medical conditions.

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Jyoti has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, which stunted her growth. Sultan, meanwhile, had a tumour that caused something called pituitary gigantism which caused him to have an enormous growth spurt at the age of 10.

Photos from their most recent meeting display the sheer scale of the height difference between them. In one, Jyoti is seen standing next to one of Sultan's shoes, which is almost as tall as her.

Sultan's feet measure 1ft 2in, while Jyoti stands at just 2ft tall (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Sultan and Jyoti's extreme heights, though on either end of the spectrum, are a result of medical conditions (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Another photo shows the pair sitting in a similar pose on the floor, with one leg tucked in and the other stretched out - though Jyoti sitting down didn't even come up to Sultan's knee. Another snap shows Sultan sitting on a chair, while Jyoti stands on one next to him but barely even comes up to his shoulders.

According to the Guinness World Records, Sultan became the first man to be measured standing at over 8ft for more than 20 years in 2009. In fact, they added, they are only aware of ten confirmed or reliable cases in history where someone reached 8ft tall or more.

Sultan, a part-time farmer from Turkey, was measured at 8ft 1in, 246.6cm, when he took the title of Tallest Living Man in 2009. Two years later, he was measured again in Ankara, Turkey, where it was found he had grown more than an inch, and stood at 8ft 2.8in, or 251cm.

Sultan and Jyoti in 2018 at the pyramids in Giza, Egypt (Getty Images)

Sultan's height is a result of a medical condition, though the rest of his family are all of average height. Pituitary gigantism, an over-production of growth hormone, can result in large hands, a thickening of the bones and painful joints.

Due to his height, Sultan never finished school and instead began working as a farmer to help support his family. Talking about the advantages of his height he noted it was helpful being able to help his mum change broken light bulbs and hang curtains.

But Sultan struggled to find clothes or shoes that fit and has previously said he finds it extremely difficult to fit into a regular-size car. As a teen, he was signed to the Galatasaray basketball team but was deemed too tall to play, though he's still passionate about the sport.

Along with the title of the Tallest Living Man, Sultan also holds the record for the largest hands on a living person, each one measuring 28.5cm, or 11.22 in, from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. He previously held the record for the largest feet on a living person, with his left foot measuring 1ft 2in, and right foot measuring 1ft 1.98in.

Sultan and Jyoti met in Irvine, California (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Sultan Kosen and Jyoti Amge have a six-foot height difference (Anadolu via Getty Images)

On the other end of the scale, Jyoti stands at 2ft 0.7in tall. Born in Nagpur, central India, Jyoti was of average stature until the age of five, according to her mum. But at that point, it became clear her growth was being hindered.

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It was discovered she had a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia and would never grow beyond a certain height. She shot to fame in 2009 when she appeared on Fuji8 TV's Bikkuri Chojin 100 Special No2, where she was measured by doctors on the show who found her to be just 61.95cm, 2ft, tall - confirming her status as the shortest living female teenager.

A tumour which impacted his pituitary gland caused Sultan's body to over produce growth hormone, resulting in a huge growth spurt at 10 years old (Anadolu via Getty Images)

With her small stature came a tiny number on the scale, and at just 5.4kg she weighed only 4kg more than her birth weight at the age of 15. On December 16, 2011, she turned 18, which allowed her to take the title of Shortest Living Woman (mobile). She was measured by an orthopaedic consultant, with her height taken at different times of the day for an average to be calculated to account for spine compression which causes the body's height to fluctuate over the course of each day.

She was found to be 62.8cm, 2ft 0.7in, pipping the previous record holder, Bridgette Jordan from the US who measured 69cm, or 2ft 3in. But Jyoti hasn't let her small stature hold her back and has been working to fulfil her dreams of becoming a movie star.

She appeared as a guest on TV shows and in 2012 was a guest on Bigg Boss - India's version of Big Brother. In 2014 she signed the part of Ma Petite in the fourth series of the hit show American Horror Story, saying after the signing: "People like me might be small in stature, but they can also act. Regular people should not underestimate people who are small."

Fiona Leishman