Walk a mile in his shoes

America's tallest man may finally be able to go for a walk in comfort.

Despite pleading with the authorities and letters from his doctors stating that finding shoes that fit would be cheaper than constant operations, no-one offered to help seven-feet eight-inch tall Igor Vovkovinskiy. Instead, he had to endure 16 operations on his feet and had become house-bound.

Step forward sports shoe manufacturer, Reebok.  After setting up their equipment in a basketball hall near their manufacturing base in Massachusetts, Reebok's engineering team invited Vovkovinskiy to fly from his home in Minnesota for a shoe fitting.

Using the latest technology, the Reebok team measured Igor's giant feet and estimated shoes sized between 22 and 25 (US) would be required.  They would also need to be strong enough to support his overall size.

However, at a cost of between $12,000 and $20,000 they will still be cheaper than the operations that were required because of the poor quality, undersized shoes he had previously been wearing.  Now it looks like Igor will be able to indulge in the simple pleasure's he's craved, such as walking his dog and going to the shops.

Although the tallest man in the US, Ukranian-born Igor is dwarfed by a fellow Russian Leonid Stadnyk, who stands a monumental eight feet and four inches.