Special shoes

Her agony of being bigger than her peers started in childhood and, for her, the most difficult part was to find a suitable pair of shoes. Her feet are now size 18.

Born in the countryside of China's central Henan province, Zheng's mother used to make cloth shoes for her.

But she didn't have suitable sneakers until 13, when she was recruited by the Wuhan army team. She didn't have any slipper and went to the bathroom barefoot until a carpenter made her a pair of geta.

Also, it takes longer for her than others to step into and out of her car - she usually settles into the seat while her legs are outside. She then turns right and puts her feet on the accelerator.

Another major problem for tall guys and girls - and not just athletic ones - is beds. It's OK at home. Athletes always have custom-made beds in their dorms but hotels don't often offer that service.

"I hate away games. It's not because of the lack of the support from the home crowd but it means I have to put my feet on chairs the whole night," said 2.36m-tall Sun Mingming, who plays for the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association.

He also hates traveling because he can never fully stretch his legs on buses or airplanes; even when sitting in the front row.

But what bothers him most is that wherever he goes, people never stop making a fuss about his height and, sometimes, in an unpleasant way.

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