Finding shoes for this guy is a tall order
Source: Agencies |
May 5, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FINDING shoes for the tallest man in the United States takes more than a trip to the mall; more like a trip across the country.
Igor Vovkovinskiy flew to Massachusetts on Thursday from Minnesota so shoe engineers at Reebok could try to custom build shoes strong enough to support his massive frame.
He's 2.34-meter tall. Technicians estimate his shoe size at somewhere between a 22 and 25 - sizes impossible to find at the mall.
Vovkovinskiy's 16 foot surgeries in six years have left him a virtual shut-in. All, he wants, he said, is shoes that fit so he can get outside, walk his dog, and enjoy his life.
The damage to his huge feet came from wearing shoes that don't fit, said Vovkovinskiy, 29, of Rochester, Minnesota.
"Every time I've had surgery and the wound began to heal up, wearing these same shoes, or the previous shoes that I had, would just open the wound right back up," Vovkovinskiy said as technicians prepared equipment at a basketball arena in Canton for the shoe-fitting.
Reebok says it's building the shoes at a cost of US$12,000 to US$20,000. It will take the company up to six weeks to create prototypes for Ukraine-born Vovkovinskiy to try out.
Igor Vovkovinskiy flew to Massachusetts on Thursday from Minnesota so shoe engineers at Reebok could try to custom build shoes strong enough to support his massive frame.
He's 2.34-meter tall. Technicians estimate his shoe size at somewhere between a 22 and 25 - sizes impossible to find at the mall.
Vovkovinskiy's 16 foot surgeries in six years have left him a virtual shut-in. All, he wants, he said, is shoes that fit so he can get outside, walk his dog, and enjoy his life.
The damage to his huge feet came from wearing shoes that don't fit, said Vovkovinskiy, 29, of Rochester, Minnesota.
"Every time I've had surgery and the wound began to heal up, wearing these same shoes, or the previous shoes that I had, would just open the wound right back up," Vovkovinskiy said as technicians prepared equipment at a basketball arena in Canton for the shoe-fitting.
Reebok says it's building the shoes at a cost of US$12,000 to US$20,000. It will take the company up to six weeks to create prototypes for Ukraine-born Vovkovinskiy to try out.
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