A 20-year-old Venezuelan has broken the Guinness World record for the largest feet. His right foot measures 1ft 3.79in (40.1066cm) and his left, 1ft 3.59in (39.5986cm).
Stepping into a whopping shoe-size of 59 by European standards, 25 in the UK, Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernandez overtook the previous record holder and worlds tallest man, Turkish farmer Sultan Kosen (shoe size of EU 57, UK 22). But Rodriguez is no shorty himself, clocking in at 7ft 2.61in stacked on top of his massive paws. Kosen, for his part, is 8ft 3in tall.
Rodriguez became known to Guinness World Records through a German specialist shoemaker, Georg Wessels, who travelled to Maracay in the west of Venezuela and later presented Rodriguezs measurements to the competition. Before Wessels, however, Rodriguez and his family had to improvise.
Since I was 14-years-old they made my shoes out of trousers material, which only lasted two or three weeks, so sometimes I would go barefoot. These are the sorts of things I would go through. I would look at other people and say, how I would like a little pair of shoes, said Rodriguez.
His feet have not always been a cause for celebration, as Rodriguez remembers the intense bullying he suffered at school.
I used to come home from school after they bullied me and I suffered a lot of discrimination. They use to say things and hit me. I used to come home traumatised, and I liked studying, I still do - but when I went to class I wanted my mum to stay because I knew that come break time they would treat me like a toy, Rodriguez said.
The youngest of four, Rodriguez grew at a normal rate until he reached 10-years-old, when he jumped from size 38 to 46 (5.5 to 12 in UK sizes) in less than a year. During this time, Rodriguez began to battle strong headaches and joint pain, leading his parents to seek medical attention.
They sent him to do a scan and that is when they realised Jason suffered from an overactive pituitary. We all have that gland, but he had premature growth which sped up his growth, said Rodriguezs mother, Amalia.
With the bullies at bay, Rodriguez says he wants to go back to studying. His aim is to learn how to bake and to help people suffering from depression.
