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Steven Senne / AP
Shoe engineers examine foot imprints from Igor Vovkovinskiy, of Minneapolis, at Reebok headquarters, in Canton, Mass. on Thursday. Vovkovinskiy, who has a shoe size between 22 and 26, says he's had 16 surgeries in six years to fix problems created by shoes that didn't fit. The engineers intend to use the imprints to help create sneakers for Vovkovinskiy with a good fit.
The tallest man in the U.S. met with shoe engineers so they could make him special shoes strong enough to support his massive frame. Msnbc.com's Alex Witt reports.
Steven Senne / AP
Igor Vovkovinskiy, of Minneapolis, currently the tallest man in the United States at seven feet eight inches, has an imprint taken of his foot by technicians.
Laura T. Coffey reports for TODAY.com about Igor Vovkivinskiy's quest for shoes that fit:
From the perspective of most people, Vovkivinskiy is a giant. At 7-foot-8.33 inches tall, he’s the tallest man in the United States, and he’s been dealing with a colossal problem: He can’t find shoes that fit.
Vovkivinskiy isn’t even sure of his shoe size anymore; he hasn’t been able to buy shoes in a store since he was a teenager. His inability to find footwear that truly fits him resulted in 16 surgeries on his feet in the past five years, leading to foot deformities and constant pain.
Video: Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira meet the world's tallest man
So, Vovkivinskiy decided to take a giant step toward a solution: He started a fund-raising website and a Facebook page asking people to help him pay for a new pair of kicks. Scores of strangers have opened their hearts and their wallets to Vovkivinskiy, donating more than $37,000 to help him combat his Goliath-size shoe challenges.
And, on Friday, athletic apparel giant Reebok announced that it wanted to fly Vovkivinskiy out to its headquarters in Canton, Mass., and custom-make a pair of shoes just for him. Read more.
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Steven Senne / AP
Paul Robinson, a shoe technician at Reebok, measures a pair of shoes belonging to Igor Vovkovinskiy.
Steven Senne / AP
Igor Vovkovinskiy has his foot measured.
Navesh Chitrakar / Reuters
Look through images of the biggest, fastest, longest, weirdest and wackiest record breakers from the 2012 edition of Guinness World Records.
Leave a Comment:
THIS guy kicks you in the ass, you got MAJOR problems. LMAO
Nothing against him, but who paid for the 16 ( I am sure very expensive) surgeries and how come the doctors just didn't suggest custom made shoes from the start? Seems like common sense went right out the window!
Just a FYI--- "Custom Shoe" = $$$$ 15,000....... (From the article)........
Finally a story that makes me feel good. Good luck Igor!!!
I hope they do a Princess Bride remake, and hire him for the Giant, that way he can afford his next pair of aircraft carriers.
this is such a sweet story, I'm glad he got some shoes
Is it just me, or is he having trouble finding a shower that fits as well. His hair is disgusting.
16 surgeries for deformed feet caused by wearing shoes that did not fit? I probably would have stopped wearing those shoes after the first or second surgery... Granted Minnesota winters get mighty cold - but he said that he hasn't left the house in years anyway... And the summer - what ever happened to going bear foot? I would think that would have been better than 16 different surgeries! I am glad Reebok is helping him out with a new pair now, though!
So, finally we found the "Big Foot".
I have known Igor for almost 15 years. It makes me soooo happy to see him finally getting his very own pair of shoes that will look killer on him. He has gone through so much growing up. Thanks to Reebok for being so kind and generous to an awesome guy. Enjoy your new shoes Igor!
For all the good pub Reebok is getting in the media I sure hope they didn't charge Igor for the shoes.
He should take the $37,000 and have some good steak dinners.
I worked in promotions for adidas back in the early 80's and it was a common practice to make shoes for athletes who had enormous feet. Bob Lanier for example was a size 24 and had to have everything including his dress shoes custom made. I took many a mold or tracing for shoes back then. He can buy a lot of shoes for $37,000, trust me.
Does this man know he has a genetic disease called acromegaly? It's a tumor on the pituitary gland that secretes excess growth hormone which accounts for the continual growth. I know, I had my turmor removed 20 years ago! Get a GH and IGF-1 test now.
BBBBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Just in case you didn't believe in big foot or sasquatch, take a look at this guy, add some hair and there you have it.
Sasquatch is alive and well LOL.
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnntttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEttttttttttttttttAAAAAAAAAAAAArrrrrrrrrrrddddddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I personally know this guy and he is the kindest person! Glad someone decided to make his life easier...
So cool to see all the financial support from people :) Way to go!
I had a friend that was about 6'8" when I met him, and he was 22 years old then. He had grown to 6'10" a few years later, when I married his best friend. By the time he died, at the age of 37 when his heart basically exploded, he was 7'3". His entire family was tall but he just never quit growing. Sad.
He's a Nazi, I mean liberal, sorry. So, it seems his gigantism hasn't spread to his brain. LOL!
Yeah, liberals are Nazis though most don't realise it.
Two words: Duct Tape.
anyway back on topic...i remember bozo the clown would reqularly have on his show the tallest man in the world; this was in 1967 give or take...I was a child.
oh, ps...my grandson's father is 6 foot 4....
GOOD JOB REEBOK!! Spirit Airlines could learn a thing or two about compassion from you guys.....
To see him viewed as a human being and not anything else is so important. Seeing the joy on his face speaks volumes. I hope he has shoes and other accommodations for the rest of his life.
This fellow is going to have issues of a more serious sort when he gets older. Look at his facial structure; he obviously has acromegaly, which is caused by nonstop growth. Unless he has an operation on his pituitary gland, he's going to get bigger and bigger until his body can't put up with it anymore. Look at what it did to Andre the Giant.
In my one-horse town we had a nation-wide shoe chain that advertised sizes from 4a-16eeee. I only had a 14eee, but had to choose between wing-tips or construction boots. Their sizes mostly cut off at D width. They had a big machine with magnifier that measured length and width only. It did not have the third indicator to adjust sizes for how far up the foot it becomes wide. they insisted a 14D was fine. I missed an entire week of work due to bloody pressure ulcers and wasted $200 on the shoes 25 years ago. It's worse now that I wear a 16eee. All the stores use excuses that people are not both long and wide and clothes makers say people are not both big and tall. I am only 6'-3" but try to find a 6x-tall shirt or coat! The 2 local big and tall stores may stock one shirt that fits, but it is always too short.