11-year-old Zhang Ziyu from eastern China has always stood out from the crowd.

Towering over her peers at an incredible height of 6ft 10in (2.1m), the sixth-grader in Jinan, Shangdong aspires to be a professional basketball player.

Sophie Hollins, 12, from Southampton, England is currently recognised by Guinness World Records as the tallest girl in the world at 6ft 2in, despite being several inches shorter than Zhang.

Zhang's height has not been officially recognised by the Guinness World Records and it is unclear if her family plans to make a bid for the title.

Zhang's height is probably genetically inherited, with her mother and father both standing at six feet tall.

At the tender age of 11, Zhang is already three inches taller than an average NBA player. She's two inches taller than her idol, top NBA star LeBron James, 33, who stands at 6ft 8in (2.03 metres). 

The teenager has been developing a passion for the sport since the age of five under the influence of her mother Yu Ying, who is a former professional basketball player on China's national team and now a coach for the provincial team in Shandong.

The teenager also excels in her studies, music and dance, according to Luzhou Evening News citing Zhang's teacher. 

Video of Zhang at a game of catch with her classmates shows they are no match for the towering girl.

'I like being friends with Ziyu,' one of her classmates told video news site Pear. 'Because she's so tall and can lift me really high up!'

'She was already 1.6m (5ft 3in) tall when we were all in first grade,' another said.

'Even though i'm older than her, I have to stretch my neck to talk to her!' another student said.

She is about one-third taller than the average 11-year-old Chinese girl who measures at about 4ft 6in (1.38m).

Zhang is a tad taller than Ren Keyu, a 11-year-old boy from Leshan, Sichuan province who is 6ft 9in (2.06 metres) tall.

Ren's family was considering applying for a Guinness World Record for him in June, but Zhang might just make a worthy opponent.   









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