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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.
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this a shoe in for best story of the month!
Good job on the shoes!! But my real concern is him bumping his head on door ways. Concussions are running very hi in the world. Can anyone finance a helmet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My son is a teenager who is 6'10" tall. He wears a size 20 shoe, and we actually have an ok time finding shoes to fit him online. Pants are not quite so easy! Shorts that come below the knee on others are far too short. He cannot fit in the driver's seat in a small car; even a full size pickup truck is a tight fit behind the wheel. He will be flying next week - I'm sure that will be quite an experience for him and those who have to sit next to him!