Joey "Jaws" Chestnut braved the rain to claim another victory in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, devouring 62 franks and buns in 10 minutes.
Chestnut won his eighth straight streak and 16th overall in double digits over Jeffrey Esper of the race and the international field of 15 remaining competitors. Esper, from Oxford, Massachusetts, managed to eat 49 hot dogs and buns.
In the women's competition, defending champion Miki Sudo defeated 39½ Hot Dogs and Buns to collect her ninth mustard belt. But before the men could compete, severe weather hit New York City's Coney Island, and the competition was delayed for two hours.
"It's a lot of fun, emotionally," Chestnut said after getting out of the rain to wonder if the famous rivalry would continue. The 39-year-old from Westfield, Indiana competed against Nathan in 2005 and has been undefeated since 2015.
He ate 63 hot dogs and buns last year to win the title. But a protester dressed as a Dart interrupts Vader on stage. And before taking security, Chestnut closed his head.
His best finish came in 2021 when he tallied 76 hot dogs, but bad weather on Tuesday prevented him from repeating it.
"Everybody's busy," Chestnut said.
Sudo defeated Maeoi Ebihara's 33½ hot dogs in 10 minutes in a tight women's competition until the final score was announced. The unofficial real-time counter shows that the two leaders are tied in most of the matches. The final plate count decides the score.
Tags
News