If strange places and things do exists, strange people also do, and Guinness World Records did an amazing job looking for extraordinary people with extraordinary existence in life to be recognized all over the world.
All of the ‘superlative’ that unbelievably exists in Earth- both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world are all recorded and given recognition by the most popular reference book, The Guinness Book Of World Records.
And on Wednesday night, July 9, 2014, the Guinness World Records presented Rumeysa Gelgi (seen below) with the record title of Tallest Teenager (female) in the world.
Rumeysa Gelgi is a 17-year-old girl from Safranbolu, Karabük, Turkey who has a standing height of 213.6 cm (7ft 0.09 in).
According to the reports, Rumeysa’s height is caused by a condition called Weaver Syndrome – a rare genetic disorder that causes rapid growth.
In addition to her height, Rumeysa’s hands have grown measure 24.5 cm and feet 30.5 cm – the equivalent of a 12 in men’s shoe sizes.
The measurements were taken in the presence of Official Seyda Subasi-Gemici, who represented Guinness World Records at the ceremony.
Rumeysa is currently in the 11th grade at high school and lives at home with her parents and older siblings – who are all ‘normal’ height.
Rumeysa said while she has been subject to cruel taunts about her appearance in the past, people’s negativity no longer upsets her, and she puts it down to ignorance.
“I like being different from everyone else. It’s interesting and makes me feel special. It also provides me with easy access to high places, and looking down at people from above isn’t a bad thing either!”
Guinness World Records Official Seyda Subasi-Gemici said: “Guinness World Records celebrates diversity and recognizes extraordinary people all over the world. Rumeysa Gelgi has shown tremendous courage in the way that she has dealt with her condition, and it is an honour to meet and award her with the record title of Tallest Teenager.”
According to the Guinness World Records, Rumeysa is not expected to grow any further, so will not beat the record of Tallest Living Person and fellow countryman, Sultan Kösen, who measures 251 cm (8ft 3 in).
The Tallest Ever Female Teenager is Canadian Anna Haining Swan (b. 6 August 1846 – d. 5 August 1888), who reached a height of 241.3 cm (7ft 11 in). The Tallest Man on record is American Robert Wadlow who measured 272cm (8ft 11.1 in) in 1940.
Rumeysa’s record will feature in the 2015 Guinness World Records book, out in September.
Source Credit: GuinnessWorldRecords