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Tall people are ace. Fact.

Think about it. All the nasty people you know are tiddlers and all the lovely, docile delights are great big, giant biggos. True, isn't it? Science says so.

Anyway, to celebrate our vertically skilled friends we thought we'd round up some of our favourite, focusing on the one thing they were edfinitely better than you at when you were 12 -- sport.

Check them out, after the jump.


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Valuev and the biggest sports stars on the planet

    Hawaiian-born former sumo wrestler Taro Akebono likes to try his hand at MMA from time to time. Either way, we're not playing because at 6'8" he weighs almost 36 stone. Despite having long legs, considered a disadvantage in sumo as it tends to make one top heavy and susceptible to throws, he covered for this by training exceptionally hard, and using his long reach to thrust his opponents out of the ring.

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    Professional cricketer Jefferson played for Essex County Cricket Club until 2006, and for Nottinghamshire until 2009. Standing about 6 foot 10 inches (2.08 m) tall, he is the tallest player in county cricket, and among the tallest professional cricketers ever. Big isn't he?

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    Croatian tennis player, Ivo has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. He has also defeated several highly ranked opponents including Roger Federer (who was ranked No. 1 at the time). He is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm (6 ft 10 in) and is considered one of the best servers on tour. His height enables him to consistently serve with high speed and unique trajectory.

    Flickr user, alphababy

    Korean kickboxer and former ssireum wrestler, Mang is a colossal 7'2" and is probably the only person we'd pick to fight Valuev ahead of. He got his nickname "Techno Goliath" as after a victory he would dance to techno music. He is referred to on Japanese television simply as the 'Korean Monster'.

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    Margo, bless her car-sized heart, is a Polish international professional basketball player. Standing at 7'2" tall, she is famous for being the tallest active professional female basketball player in the world. She currently plays centre for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. We know what you're thinking... what shoe size is she? US size 18.5. We can't tell you what that is here in the UK because
    conversion charts don't go anywhere near that high.

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    Jumbo-sized Aussie rules footballer Sandilands stands at a monstrous 6' 11" and weighing 125 kg (275 lb). He is the equal tallest player in the history of the game. Sandilands plays as a ruckman for the Fremantle Football Club. We don't know what that means but it sounds violent. Not everyone's afraid of him, though. In 2006 Sandilands suffered a broken jaw in the round 6 Western Derby in a clash with West Coast Eagles ruckman Mark Seaby. Go Seaby!

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    Basketballers are big. That's a fact. But even in basketball terms Sun Ming Ming is a whopper. The Chinese titan stands 7'9" and weighs 370 pounds (168 kg). Brilliantly he didn't start playing b-ball until he was 15, when he was 6' 7 " and had over a foot more skyward growth to go. Unsuccessful spell at the LA Lakers was bettered with success in the Japanese league where he remains. He also appeared in a fight scene with actors Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in the film Rush Hour. Ace!

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    This right-handed pitcher for the Minnesota Twins and is an Olympic Gold Medalist. At 6' 11" (2.11 m), he is the tallest player in the history of the major leagues. Still doesn't make baseball interesting enough for us to stay up until 3am, though.

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    The former Scottish rugby union player Big Dick Metcalfe was the world's tallest ever international rugby player and Britain's tallest athlete. At 7 feet Metcalfe was about six inches taller than a typical second row forward, giving him considerable presence at the front of the line-out. He won 11 Scotland caps between 2000 and 2002 and played for the Northampton Saints. In 2003, however, his contract with the Borders/SRU was terminated after he suffered a long-term knee injury.

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    Bulgaria's weighlifting giant, Cholakov stands 2.01 meters tall. This makes lifting more difficult both in regard to distance of elevation and less than ideal limb proportions. Still, he manages it. One word springs to mind: Truck.

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