A 27-year-old contender for the world's tallest man had surgery in a Tianjin hospital to relieve pain from a muscle tendon injury on his left foot sustained nearly a decade ago.

Doctors said the operation was successful.

Zhao Liang is 2.46 m tall - 10 cm taller than Bao Xishun, now recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's tallest man and 17 cm taller than China's NBA basketball star Yao Ming.

Zhao's height has not been independently verified by the Guinness judges, but doctors at Tianjin Anjie Hospital measured his height as part of a medical checkup under the glare of the media.

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Liu Yuchen, a surgeon at the hospital, said Zhao will be able to walk normally two months after surgery, but advised against any intense physical exercise.

Liu said Zhao is in good health and has no complications related to his height.

Zhao's basketball career in his home province of Henan was cut short by the injury when he was 17.

He was unemployed until 2006, when an art troupe in Jilin province enrolled him to perform magic tricks and play the saxophone and flute.

Zhao's parents are of normal height, with his father measuring 1.8 m and his mother, 1.68 m.

Wang Keyun, Zhao's mother, said her son has a big appetite - polishing off eight hamburger-sized steamed buns and three dishes for dinner. "But I am so worried about his marriage, job and his health that my hair has turned white," she said.