Sunday 3 June 2012

It's hard work being this short: 21.5inch-tall Nepalese farmer, 72, is confirmed as world's smallest man


A 72-year-old Nepalese man who made big claims to being the smallest man in the world has finally been confirmed as a record breaker.
A doctor and Guinness World Records official headed to Nepal to measure Chandra Bahadur Dangi to confirm his height of 21.5 inches (54.6 centimeters), shorter than the length of a broadsheet newspaper, where they declared him the world's shortest person.
On Sunday, Guinness presented Dangi with two certificates for being the world's shortest living man and the world's shortest person ever recorded in Guinness' 57-year history.



Dangi lives in a remote mountain village in Nepal and says he now wants to travel across the country and abroad.
He overtook the previous shortest man Junrey Balawing of the Philippines, who is 23.5 inches (60 centimeters) tall.

He had claimed the title last year from Khagendra Thapa Magar, 18, whose height is 26 inches tall.



Dangi spends his days making placemats and head straps for villagers to carry heavy loads on their backs.
His nephew, Dolak Dangi, said: 'He would also look after the buffalos and cows.
'Although he could not chase them or tie them - he would call us if they strayed.'
Dangi hopes to use his new found fame to travel, admitting: 'I think things will be better now. I hope that I will be famous all over the world.
'I want to visit foreign countries and meet people from around the world.'
The cause of Mr Dangi's height problem has not been diagnosed but it is suspected that he suffers primordial dwarfism which begins in the womb.


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