Leggiest woman meets worlds shortest man

In September Trafalgar Square drew a curious crowd when the shortest man in the world met up with the woman with the longest legs in the world.

He Pingping, 20, of China, was born with a type of dwarfism. He stands precisely 2 feet 5.37 inches tall.

The meeting of the two was to publicize the release of “Guinness World Records 2009.”

He called Svetlana Pankratova’s legs “very beautiful.”

Pankratova, 36, is Russian but she lives in Spain. Her legs measure almost 52 inches, or more than 4 feet in length. Her upper body has nearly typical proportions, giving her a giraffe-like appearance.

Dressed in a bright-blue mini-dress and low-heeled pumps, Pankratova, 36, said she liked her legs, though they can complicate things. “It’s hard to find clothes, especially pants,” she said.

At just over 6-foot-4, Pankratova isn’t the tallest woman on record. Sandy Allen, of Shelbyville, Indiana, who died recently, held that title at 7 feet, 7 inches, according to the book. The book said He is the shortest man who can walk.

The latest edition of the book lists pop star Britney Spears as the most-searched person on the Internet and the television show “Lost” as the most-downloaded show of all time.

The book has been around for half a century. About 3.5 million copies are sold each year, according to editor-in-chief Craig Glenday.