At 7-foot-9, Florida Gators redshirt freshman Olivier Rioux is the world’s tallest teenager, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. He’s also a first-year college basketball player who is enjoying his team’s run to the Final Four, even though he won’t participate.
“It’s amazing,” said Rioux, who is from Quebec, Canada. “I think it’s part of the dream for everybody in the sport, and it’s amazing for me to be a part of this.”
But Rioux is also preparing to compete for the Gators in the future. He enjoys his battles against Rueben Chinyelu, the 6-foot-10 Florida standout. To compete against Florida’s top athletes, however, Rioux has to consume a massive amount of food for his record-breaking frame.
“It’s three meals. Yeah, it’s three meals and two plates,” Rioux told ESPN on Thursday. “It’s about 6,000 calories.”
Although he won’t be on the court when Florida faces the Auburn Tigers on Saturday in the Final Four, he is arguably the most popular player on the roster. Sometimes, it’s even difficult for Rioux to get to his classes because he’s inundated with picture requests.
But he’s learning to handle the buzz attached to walking on a college campus as one of the tallest human beings on the planet.
“Well, I’ve learned how to say no,” Rioux said. “Obviously, you’ve got to be respectful and all that, but I’ve learned how to say no. Obviously, you’ve got to say yes to kids, 100 percent.”
