Igor Vovkovinskiy is the tallest man in America, which means his shoe size is proportional. He is 7 feet 8 1/3 inches tall and his size 24 feet make it hard to shop for new sneakers. That’s why Reebok made custom fitted sneakers for the big guy, who has only had one pair of shoes his whole life, reports PostBulletin.com.
Vovkovinskiy got to try them on for the first time on Thursday and is ecstatic that he now has a choice between what shoes he puts on his gigantic feet in the morning. He now has a variety of colors to choose from. If he wants another pair, it will take Reebok six weeks to make them.
“Wow!” he said, smiling and trying to wiggle his toes in the black pair with “Igor” on the front, back and soles. “It feels so good, like I’m walking on pillows or mattresses.”
Vovkovinskiy, who lives in Rochester, N.Y., became so tall because of a tumor in his pituitary gland that sped up his growth. He has had several surgeries on his feet that have left them misshapen and in pain, so the comfortable custom shoes comes as a relief.
“For so long it hurt to have shoes on,” he said. “Every day I was in pain. I want to be active again and walk. I can barely walk two blocks now. Before, I could walk two miles.”
You’d think a shoe manufacturer would have offered custom made shoes for Vovkovinskiy sooner since he has been in the spotlight for some time because of his height. Reebok finally agreed to make the shoes after learning of his story via Facebooka and Twitter where Vovkovinskiy asked for donation for custom made kicks.