World’s Tallest Woman, 7ft 1in, Finally Discovers the Cause of Her Extreme Height

The world’s tallest living woman is not simply a record-holder with an extraordinary number beside her name. Rumeysa Gelgi, from Turkey, stands at 215.16 cm, or 7ft 0.7in, and her height is linked to a rare medical condition rather than ordinary family traits or chance.

Guinness World Records says Gelgi’s condition is Weaver syndrome, a genetic overgrowth disorder that caused accelerated growth and advanced skeletal maturation. The explanation is medically clear, but her story is also about diagnosis, mobility, public attention and how one woman turned an unusual body into a platform for awareness.