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Nepal boy's record claim given short shrift

A Nepali boy's hope of being declared the world's shortest was dismissed on Monday by Guinness World Records, which said he was too young to qualify. Fourteen-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar, who is 20 inches tall and weighs 10 pounds, will have to wait another four years before he can be considered as the world's shortest man.
Khagendra Thapa Magar, 14, dances in Baglung village, 169 miles west of Katmandu, Nepal, on Monday, April 17. Magar, who is only 20 inches tall and weighs 10 pounds had hoped to be named the shortest person in the world.
Khagendra Thapa Magar, 14, dances in Baglung village, 169 miles west of Katmandu, Nepal, on Monday, April 17. Magar, who is only 20 inches tall and weighs 10 pounds had hoped to be named the shortest person in the world. Prakash Mathema / AP file
/ Source: Reuters

A Nepali boy's hope of being declared the world's shortest was dismissed on Monday by Guinness World Records, which said he was too young to qualify.

Fourteen-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar, who is 20 inches tall and weighs 10 pounds, will have to wait another four years before he can be considered as the world's shortest man.

The boy's family and friends had trumpeted his claim hoping it would get him funds for his education and heath care.

They said they had raised around $4,000 for a trust in his name by organising shows where people can watch him dance and play. The story made headlines in Nepal and around the world.

"There is a possibility that he could be the shortest person in the world, however Guinness World Records cannot examine more details until he reaches the age of 18 years," Amarilis Espinoza, a Guinness World Records spokeswoman, said by email from London.

"After that age, we will be happy to review the case," she said.

The current record is held by a Jordanian man, Younis Edwan, who is 25.5 inches tall, the London-based group said.

Magar has no formal schooling and likes to play with friends, offer prayers and watch television, his family said.