MANILA: Guinness World Records Thursday bared the name of a 1-foot, 10-inch Filipino from Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, as a new contender for the title of the smallest living man. Junrey Balawing, 17, has challenged the record of the current shortest man in the world, 18-year-old Nepalese Khagendra Thapa Magar, who measures 2 feet and 2.41 inches. “We're intrigued by such a remarkable claim — if it's true, it would make Junrey not just the Shortest Living Man but the Shortest Man who ever lived, beating Gul Mohammed of India (1957–97) at 57 cm, [or] 22.5 in,” Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said on the Guinness website. While Balawing claims to measure 4.3 inches shorter than Khagendra, the Filipino should undergo a stringent evaluation and breach the age of a minor.
