Florida basketball star named world’s tallest teenager by Guinness
Written by Angie Sharma on February 17, 2022
A Florida high school’s star basketball player was declared to be the tallest teenager in the world when his 7-foot, 5.33-inch height was verified by Guinness World Records.
Olivier Rioux, 15, who hails from Beloeil, Quebec, and now attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., was named the tallest teenager living by Guinness World Records.
“My mom is 6 foot 2 and my dad is 6 foot 8,” Rioux told WFTS-TV. “When I was 10, 11, 12, I started growing and it was getting fast. Every week, I was like getting height. I was taller than every kid in my school.”
Rioux’s coach, Jeremy Schiller, said the teenager’s basketball skills are about more than his height.
“The biggest thing when you meet him, you’re concerned, is he skilled, can he move, what’s his motor like, does he like basketball? Those are the things you’re concerned about when you meet a 7-foot, 5-inch kid and start to work with him. The first thing is he loves basketball, that’s huge, some kids are tall and people make them do it,” Schiller said.
