Joey Chestnut once again made his way to the top of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Monday, earning a record 15th victory at the annual Fourth of July contest.
The 37-year-old ate 63 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, a far cry from the record 76 he ate last year.
The number still dwarfs that of Chestnut’s nearest competitor, Geoffrey Esper, by 20 dogs.
Honest shocked the world of competitive eating on Friday when he showed up to his official weigh-in on crutches. A tendon injury forced him to compete Monday in a medical boot.
Monday’s dominant victory marked the first time since 2019 that the race was held at its usual location, the original Nathan’s at Surf Avenue and Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Last year’s game was a limited-admission, ticketed event at nearby Maimonides Baseball Stadium, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Monday’s win for Chestnut marked his 15th in the competition.
Joey Chestnut’s victory marked the first time since 2019 that the race was held at its usual venue. Paul Martinka
Ranked the No. 1 competitive eater in the world by Major League Eating, the former California native has won all but one of Nathan’s competitions since 2006.
Eight-time champion Miki Sudo won the women’s hot dog competition held earlier on Sunday.
Longtime fans expressed relief and excitement to return to the top spot for this year’s competition.
“It’s a tradition in my family to come here every Fourth of July, so here we are,” said Daphne, 26, of Brownsville.
Neighborhood resident Joe Maney, 32, didn’t expect the event to return to “normal.”
“I would always come to Coney Island every Fourth of July for this race, so to come back in person as we come out of the pandemic feels great because I didn’t think the world would go back to normal,” he said.
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