Do you know your height? 😄
At 20 years old, Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh from Iran is the new world’s shortest man living, with a height of 65.24 cm (2 ft 1.6 in)!
In fact, he is almost 7 whole centimetres (2.7 in) shorter than the previous record holder, 36-year-old Edward "Niño" Hernandez from Colombia.
In order to make sure the measurements were correct, Guinness World Records arranged for Afshin to fly all the way to our Dubai office, where we measured him not once, not twice, but three times in 24 hours!
More specifically we measured him in the morning, afternoon and late evening.
Keep reading to discover Afshin’s full story and how you can measure your height correctly 👇
Afshin’s story
Afshin grew up in a small village in Iran. When he was born he weighed 700 g (1.5 lb), and has grown now to be almost 6.5 kg (14.3 lb).
Life hasn’t been easy for Afshin, especially since he couldn’t go to school due to his size. However, he is very happy to have recently learnt how to write his name.
He is very kind, outgoing, and popular with the neighbours and friends in the village. His parents and community all call him ‘Mohamad’.
He loves watching cartoons and his favourite is Tom & Jerry – although you might think he’d be a fan of tiny Jerry the mouse, Afshin actually prefers Tom the cat! 😻
Afshin can’t really play any sports, but he loves to dance, especially to Iranian Kurdish music.
As a child, he was not lucky enough to have owned any Guinness World Records books, but he says human-body related records have always been his favourite.
“I know who the tallest man living in the world is. I might fit in the palms of his hands.” – Afshin Ghaderzadeh
We asked him how he feels about being a Guinness World Records title holder:
“Just thinking about being part of the Guinness World Records family is like a dream.I struggle to believe it sometimes. It is like you wake up the next day and the entire world now knows who you are. That’s magical!”
He said that what he likes the most is the attention he gets from people. “It makes me feel special,” he explained.
Finally, Afshin told us that his dream is to be able to help his parents have a better life. “This global recognition might help me achieve my dream”.
He also wishes to visit every country in the world. 🌎
We loved meeting Afshin and his parents, and hope that all his dreams come true! ✨
How tall are you?
As promised at the beginning of this article, here is how you can measure your height correctly. You will need:
- A grown-up or someone taller than you to help you 🧍
- A wall
- A hardcover book 📗
- A pencil ✏️
- A measure tape 📏
Have you got everything? Good.
Now follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Remove your shoes and any baggy clothes.
Step 2: Stand against the wall making sure your legs are straight, arms are on the sides, and shoulders are relaxed.
Step 3: Your helper will now use the book to form a right angle with the wall, while touching the top of your head.
Step 4: Use the pencil to lightly mark where the bottom of the book meets the wall. Then, use a measure tape to measure the distance from the floor to the mark.
That’s your height!
Pro tip: measure your height in the morning… you will be slightly taller! 🤫
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