Guinness: 7-foot-8.33 Rochester man is tallest in U.S.
Guinness World Records has recognized a Minnesota man as the tallest man in the United States.
The Guinness World Record Association measured Igor Vovkovinskiy, of Rochester, at 7 feet, 8.33 inches during an installment of NBC's "The Dr. Oz Show" that aired Monday. He edged out George Bell, a sheriff's deputy in Norfolk, Va., by a third of an inch.
The 27-year-old, who's originally from Ukraine, moved to Minnesota with his mother when he was 7 years old for treatment at the Mayo Clinic for a pituitary disease that spurred his rapid growth.
Vovkovinskiy now attends the Minnesota School of Business and is pursuing a degree in paralegal studies.
Guinness says the world's tallest man is Sultan Kosen, of Turkey, who measures in at 8-foot-1.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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