Meet the 11-year-old who's SIX FOOT NINE: Primary school pupil is already taller than an average NBA player... and he's still growing
Kelsey Cheng
- Ren Keyu is a sixth-grader at a primary school in Sichuan, south-west China
- The pupil is taller than many NBA players whose average height is 6ft 7in
- The school had his desk and chair tailor-made twice to fit his growing body
This 11-year-old Chinese boy really stands out in school as he towers over his peers at an incredible height of six feet and nine inches (2.06 metres).
Ren Keyu, nicknamed Xiaoyu, is a sixth-grader at a primary school in Leshan city, south-west China's Sichuan province.
Xiaoyu's massive stature is not the result of any medical condition and his family is considering applying for a Guinness World Record for him, according to Chinese media reports.
Chinese boy Ren Keyu, 11, really stands out in his primary school as he towers over his peers
At the tender age, Xiaoyu is already two inches taller than an average NBA player. He's one inch taller than top NBA star LeBron James, 33, who stands at six foot eight (2.03 metres).
The boy is also dubbed 'little Yao Ming' after the former NBA all-star from China who measures 7 feet and 6 inches (2.29 metres).
Due to his massive stature, Xiaoyu's school had to have his desk and chair tailor-made twice to fit his growing body.
Xiaoyu's school had to have his desk and chair tailor-made twice to fit his growing body
Xiaoyu's height is probably genetically inherited, with his mother at six foot two (1.9 metres) while his father stands at almost six feet (1.8 metres).
He is about one-third taller than an average 11-year-old Chinese boy who usually measures about four feet and seven inches (1.4 metres).
Worried about his height, Xiaoyu's parents had taken him to the local hospital several times for various health checkups.
But the test results indicated that his growth hormones levels and pituitary glad were normal and doctors said he was not suffering from any medical conditions.
However, he has flat feet, which could prevent him from playing professional basketball.
At a weight of 126kg (277 pounds), Xiaoyu has already undergone four surgeries on his feet and could not walk for long periods of time.
Xu Hong, Xiaoyu's teacher, thought he had entered the wrong classroom on his first day in primary one.
Xiaoyu is also seen attending class attentively - in the last row of the classroom
Xiaoyu's family is considering applying for a Guinness World Record if the boy agrees
'He was at least a head taller than other first-graders', she said. 'I told him to go upstairs, thinking he was a student in a higher grade!'
Video footage released by Chengdu Business Daily shows him playing and chatting with his classmates as he towers head and shoulders above them.
He is also seen attending class attentively - in the last row of the classroom.
Xiaoyu's grandpa was filmed measuring him against a door at home. He was 2.4 inches (6 centimetres) taller than the frame.
'Being tall has its advantages - I can help the teachers clean the blackboard easily,' he told reporters.
'I can also help my classmates retrieve objects placed above their reach,' he said.
He is even asked to help clean the windows and security cameras at school - which he happily obliges.
11-year-old Xiaoyu (middle) is an inch taller than NBA star LeBron James (right), who stands at six foot eight. Xiaoyu has also been dubbed 'little Yao Ming' after the former NBA player (left)
However, Xiaoyu said that he always end up hitting his head on door frames and bus handrails, and often gets awkward stares on the streets.
'I don't feel too comfortable with that,' he said.
Xiaoyu's family is considering applying for a Guinness World Record if the boy agrees.
Kevin Bradford from the United States, born on October 27, 1998, is the former holder of the Guinness World Record for the tallest living male teenager. He was measured 7 feet and 1 inch (2.159 metres) in 2015.
However, 15-year-old Brandon Marshall from Britain is closing in on being the tallest teenager in the world, reportedly standing at seven feet and four inches (2.2 metres) in March.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5896051/Tallest-primary-school-pupil-world-11-year-old-Chinese-boy-stands-six-foot-nine-inches.html