Khagendra Thapa Magar from Nepal, thought to be the world’s smallest living man at just 56cm, has turned 18 and now hopes to be officially recognised for his record stature.
Four years ago, Thapa had his application for a Guinness World Record for the smallest man rejected because at just 14 he was too young to qualify. But last week he started adulthood and is now set to submit another application.
“Now he has turned 18, we will forward the necessary documents to Guinness officials,” Thapa’s father, Rup Bahadur Thapa Magar, told AFP by telephone as the family prepared for a birthday celebration.
Thapa’s father is adamant that his son should be able to stand on his own two feet. “I want him to have a good future. I want him to be educated and live an independent life.
“When he was born he was so small he could fit in the palm of your hand. But I am proud to be his father. He has brought fame not just for himself but for his country.”
According to a Web site set up by his supporters, Thapa weighed only 600g at birth and his hobbies include “playing with pebbles” and “worshipping Buddha.”
The Guinness Book of Records Web site lists the late Gul Mohammed of New Delhi as the shortest adult human being ever, at 56cm.
The current record for world’s shortest living man is held by He Pingping of China, who is 73cm tall.(AFP)
尼泊爾男子卡詹德拉•塔巴•馬加爾身高僅有五十六公分，被視為全世界現存最矮的男子，剛滿十八歲的他，現在希望能通過金氏世界紀錄官方認證，拿下世界最矮現存男子的頭銜。
四年前，塔巴曾申請《金氏世界紀錄》全世界最矮男子的認證，卻因為他當時只有十四歲，年齡不符合申請條件而被駁回。但上週他法定成年後，再度提出認證申請。
塔巴的父親魯普．巴哈杜爾．塔巴．馬加爾接受法新社電訪時表示：「現在他滿十八歲了，我們會把必備資料提交給金氏世界紀錄人員。」當時他們家正準備慶祝卡詹德拉的生日。
塔巴的父親堅信兒子能夠獨立生活，他說：「我希望他未來能有好的發展。我希望他能接受教育並獨立生活。」
「他出生時不過一個巴掌大，但我以當他的父親為榮，他不僅自己成名，也讓他的國家與有榮焉。」
他的支持者架設的網站上寫道，塔巴出生時體重僅有六百公克，而他的興趣包括「玩鵝卵石」和「拜佛」。
根據金氏世界紀錄網站列名，史上最矮的成人是已故的高爾．穆罕默德，來自新德里的他身高是五十六公分。
現任全世界現存最矮男子的紀錄保持人是身高七十三公分、來自中國的何平平。
（法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）
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