22-inch Nepal man: I’m the world's shortest

updated 11:25 a.m. ET Oct. 15, 2009

KATMANDU, Nepal - Now that he's all grown up, 18-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal wants the world to know just how tiny he is.

Magar, who stands 22 inches tall, has been waiting four years for his chance to take the title of the world's shortest person.

On Thursday, a day after his birthday and becoming an adult, supporters mailed an application package to Guinness World Record in London seeking to stake his place in the record book.

Magar's family initially filed a claim when he was just 14 years old but it was rejected since he was not an adult and there was a chance he might grow, said Min Bahadur Ranamagar of the Khagendra Thapa Magar Foundation.

Ranamagar said it was not clear how long the certification process would take. When Magar applied four years ago, Guinness officials said he would need to be examined by a doctor to confirm he had stopped growing.

The current record is held by 21-year-old He Pingping of China, who is 29 inches tall.

More on: Thapa Magar  |  Pingping

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