Gosh, will I be as big as you when I grow up? Children marvel at world's tallest man as he visits their school

Gosh, will I be as big as you when I grow up? Children marvel at world's tallest man as he visits their school - Sultan Kosen is 8ft 3ins tall and wears shoes that are size 28 - His hands measure 10.8ins across and his feet are 13.7ins long - His feet aren’t much shorter than their legs.

So little wonder that the children of St Michael’s were treading carefully when Sultan Kosen came to visit yesterday.

Fortunately for them, the world’s tallest man is a giant of the gentle variety and careful where he puts his size 28s.

Tall order: Sultan Kosen, who is 8ft 3 ins tall and has size 28 feet, stands proud with pupils at St. Michael's RC School in Twickenham

Pupils had to clamber up a climbing frame to make eye contact with the 29-year-old who is 8ft 3in tall.

Mr Kosen, a farmer, visited the school in Twickenham, south-west London, after it won a Guinness World Records Educational Programme competition.

The Turkish farmer impressed teachers and pupils by ‘placing’ a ball in a basketball hoop while barely having to stretch.

Pupils crooked their necks as they stared up at the giant man, who walks with a stick and is almost three times their size.

Mr Kosen signed autographs and held a question and answer session with the youngsters and said he felt very welcome at the school

Sultan said: 'Some people don’t know what to do when they meet me but everyone at St Michael’s has been so friendly and warm.

'I wanted to share with kids it’s OK to be different.'

Year six teacher Ruth Foley said: 'The children were all in absolute awe of Sultan, he is lovely, like a gentle giant.

'This memorable experience will stay with us all for the rest of our lives.'

Mr Kosen impressed teachers and pupils by 'placing' a ball in a basketball hoop while barely having to stretch

Sultan’s hands measure a massive 10.8 inches across and his feet are 13.7 inches long, which are also world records.

He is one of only ten people ever to top 8 feet and the first in a decade.

He became the world’s tallest man in August 2009, when he shot past China’s Bao Xishun at 7ft 9ins.

Sultan suffers from a rare disorder called pituitary gigantism, which causes his body to continually produce the growth hormone.

Hanging out: The 29-year-old suffers from a rare disorder called pituitary gigantism, which causes his body to continually produce the growth hormone

His condition is believed to have been caused by a tumour in the pituitary gland.

Doctors thought they had cured him in 2008 when they removed the tumour but he continued to grow by half and inch a year.

Now medics say he has finally stopped growing.

Sultan grew normally until he was ten but the tumour then caused him to develop the medical condition.

When other children were little more than 4 feet, he was already well over 6 feet. His family are all ‘normal’ size.

Sultan last visited the UK two years ago, when he said: 'The kids used to tease me and I found that very difficult.

'But now I am really proud of being tall.'

Robert Wadlow from Illinois was the world’s tallest ever man, reaching 8ft 11.1in.

He died in 1940, aged 22. ( dailymail.co.uk )