The everyday life of Russia's TALLEST man
On the subway, he has to lower his head and, on airplanes, he is upgraded to business class free of charge. And, in the past, his biggest problem was getting clothes to fit him properly.
Sergei Ilyin, who is 2.24 meters (7ft 4.19in′) tall, has been included in the 'Russian Book of Records' as the tallest man in the country. He also has the widest arm span and the largest shoe size.
Despite his extraordinary size, Sergei tries to lead a very ordinary life: work, domestic chores, meetings with friends. But, you would definitely recognize him among millions.
A life in basketball
Sergei Ilyin was born in 1987 in the small town of Vyazma in Smolensk Region to an ordinary family: his mother was 1.70 meters (5ft 6.93in′) tall and father 1.85 meters (6ft 0.83in′) in height. But, in the 9th grade, Sergei suddenly began to gain 10 cm a year! And, when he was already over 2.19 meters (7ft 2.22in′) tall, a benign tumor the size of a walnut was found in his pituitary gland. It was putting pressure on the gland, causing it to release even more growth hormone. When the tumor was removed, the young man grew a few centimeters more and then stopped.
Sergei's peak height was 2.25 meters (7ft 4.58in′) but, like everyone else, as he grew older, he became a little bit shorter. "When they measured my height for the 'Russian Book of Records', it was 2.23 meters (7ft 3.8in′) standing and 2.27 meters (7ft 5.37in′) lying down," Sergei says. "In the end, they used a figure of 2.24 meters. When they measured me in Italy ages ago, my height was 2.27 meters (7ft 5.37in′), so it depends on how you measure it."
In his youth, he devoted himself to basketball: First, he played for the Vyazma city team and then for Dynamo Moscow. During his sports career, Sergei also managed to play for basketball clubs in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Turkey. He also was given the ‘Master of Sport’ honor and learned several foreign languages. At the age of 29, due to a leg injury, he had to say goodbye to professional sport. Then, he decided to return to Moscow.
Russia's tallest man
For several years, Sergei headed the Moscow Center for Physical Culture and Sport and, then, worked in the distribution of coffee. Now, he has an ordinary office job that takes him on regular business trips. He also has a small private business – making custom-size clothes for tall people. He started with socks and the brand name ‘225’.
"Whether it's a dress or a coat, I seek out skilled garment makers to make the clothes," he says. "In cost, they are not much more expensive than their store-bought counterparts, but it's all individually made to measure." And all the garment makers are based in Russia.
Clothes have been the only thing that have been a problem for him, he says. "You won't find a 3XL-T size everywhere: You either have to scour internet stores or have what you want made for you. I don't chase fashion – the important thing for me is comfort. So, I get things made for me to order and for others, too."
Sergei lives in an apartment in Moscow Region, where the furniture is perfectly ordinary – he doesn't need to have anything adapted for him. The only thing he looked out for when choosing the apartment was the high ceilings – 3.1 meters. "I'm not at all fussy," Sergei says.
He either takes public transport to get around Moscow or goes by car – he started driving not long ago. Admittedly, he sometimes needs to lower his head in a subway train, but it's not that bad.
"People can get used to anything," according to Sergei. "For instance, when flying, I pick a seat next to the emergency exit and, sometimes, they switch me to business class where there's more room. On the train, I also adapt somehow – I don't find it a problem!”
In 2019, Sergei discovered that his friend Pavel Podkolzin, a basketball player from Novosibirsk, had appeared in the 'Russian Book of Records' as the country's tallest person. He wrote to the editorial office and an appointment was made for him at which as many as three records were registered: tallest person (2.24 meters; 7ft 4.19in′), widest arm span (2.28 meters; 7ft 7.56in′) and largest foot size (34.5 cm/13.48in′ left foot, 35.2 cm/13.85in′ right foot).
According to 'Guinness World Records', the current tallest man in the world is a farmer from Turkey named Sultan Kösen, who measures 2.51 meters (8ft 2.82in′). Sergei met him once on a TV program. He proved to be a whole head taller than Sergei!
