World’s Shortest Man is Junrey Balawing From Philippines

It could happen real soon that a Filipino will be named by Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest man in the world, AOL reports. The current title holder is 18-year-old Nepalese man Khagendra Thapa Magar, who stands 2-foot-2.41-inch.

The 17-year-old Junrey Balawing, from the Philippines, claims to be just 1 foot 10 inches tall (or 22 inches) — almost 4.3 inches shorter than Magar.

Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, said that Balawing will have to be 18 before he can be officially measured for the record and he will have to be officially measured three times a day, both standing up and lying flat. He turns 18 in June.

“We’re intrigued by such a remarkable claim,” he said. “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 (1957–1997) at 57 centimeters or 22.5 inches.”