The Guinness World Records on Sunday recognised Chandra Bahadur Dangi, who measures 54.6 centimetre (21.5 inch), as the world's shortest adult ever measured.
After carrying out measurements here in Kathmandu, a team of GWR led by its Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday confirmed Dangi, who claims to be 72 years old and hails from Dang of western Nepal, as the world's shortest man, and crowned him the title.He is 5.3 centimetre shorter than Junrey Balawing of the Philippines, who measures 59.9 centimetre (23.5 inch) and was crowned world's shortest man on his 18th birthday last June. The Filipino had taken over the title from Nepal’s Khagendra Thapa Magar, who measures 67 centimetres (26.4 inch) .
According to the GWR, the confirmed measurement also makes Dangi the shortest adult human to ever have their height verified by Guinness World Records, beating a benchmark set by Gul Mohammed, (New Delhi, India, 1957-1997) who measured 57 centimetre 22.5 inch).The GWR conducted Dangi's official measurement at the CIWEC Clinic Travel Medicine Center in Lainchaur.
"In accordance with Guinness World Records guidelines, Chandra was measured three times in 24 hours," the GWR said in its website.
The Guiness officials had flown to Kathmandu from London for the official measurements.
"I'm continually amazed that this record keeps getting broken. Just when you think it's impossible for the record to get any smaller, Mr Dangi comes along and astonishes us all by being the shortest person ever measured," Glenday has been quoted as saying in the Guiness World records website.
"What I find equally remarkable is his age -if he really is 72, he is by far the oldest person to be awarded the shortest-man record in Guinness World Record's 57-year history," he added.
