Leonid Stadnik, 2.57 meters tall (8-foot-5.5) tall, holds a door as his mother Halyna, left, looks on in the village of Podoliantsy, Ukraine's northwestern Zhytomyr region, 212 kilometers (131.74 miles) west of the capital Kiev, in this Friday, April 16, 2004, file photo. Stadnik, 36, is the tallest person in the world, beating a Chinese man who previously held the title, Guinness World Records said Wednesday Aug. 8, 2007. Stadnik's growth spurt started at age 14 after a brain operation apparently stimulated his pituitary gland. He lives with his mother, Halyna, taking care of the family's house and garden. [AP]