One contestant won her 15th straight competition and another reclaimed her title as the world’s top-ranked eater during the famous Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Monday.
Joey Chestnut, 38, who is known as “Jaws” and holds 50 world records in eating competitions, finished first after eating 63 hot dogs.
Miki Sudo, the world’s No. 1 female eater, who dropped out of the women’s competition last year because she was pregnant, came in first after eating 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes. She defeated 38-year-old Michelle Lesko, who won in 2021.
“What better place to get the title back?” Ms Sudo said from the stage after the race as she held her son Max. “It was an amazing comeback.”
The contest, which was held in alternate locations the past two years due to the pandemic, has returned to Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island, a location known as the “Boston Garden floor,” Rich Shea, president of Major League Eating, told ESPN. which broadcasts the competition.
The race’s return to Coney Island attracted thousands of spectators who flocked to Nathan’s original location to watch the race.
Spectators carried signs reading ‘Don’t Puke’ and ‘Tastes Like Freedom’ and others wore hotdog costumes as they cheered on the eaters who came from across the country as well as Australia and the UK to compete.
George Shay, host of the contest and founder of Major League Eating, hailed the contest as “a battle of the titans, the early gods,” as a chorus of white-robed singers sang behind him.
“We’re back,” he called. “We’re back, Brooklyn!”
Kristen Tomlan, 31, traveled three hours from Coventry, Rhode Island the night before to see Nathan compete in person for her first time.
“I wanted to see a legend and maybe see a world record broken,” Ms. Tomlan said, referring to Mr. Chestnut.
Ms. Sudo, who was competing with an injured wrist, fell short of her personal best of 48.5 hotdogs but stayed well ahead of the other 12 contenders during the competition. By the middle of the event, she had eaten more than 20 hotdogs, while the next contestant had only eaten 16.
Until the last minute, Mrs. Sudo was the clear winner after wiping down 40 hot dogs. That left Ms. Lesko competing for second place against Sarah Rodriguez, 35, a bodybuilder from Seattle, Washington.
Ms. Lesko, who ate 26 hotdogs, came in second. Ms. Rodriguez placed third with a 23.25 hotdog.
After the women’s race, workers cleared the remaining hot dogs from the long table and set out glasses of fresh water for the men’s circle.
Mr. Chestnut, who is 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds and is competing with an injured leg, said he prepared for the race by sticking to a liquid diet.
“Lemon juice, water, just a little protein,” he told ESPN on Sunday. “I’ll be happy and I’ll be hungry.”
The crowd chants “Joey! Joey!” as Mr. Chestnut beats 15 other men, including a war veteran who fought in Afghanistan, a Chicago man who once ate 275 jalapeños in 8 minutes, and Nick Wherry, Ms. Sudo’s fiance and dietitian trainer from Tampa, Florida, who finished 50 hard-boiled eggs in 3 minutes and four seconds last year.
After the race, Mr Chestnut looked exhausted, sweaty and grimacing.
“It was a crazy race,” he said from the stage.
Mr. Chestnut, who has a personal best of 78 hot dogs, has set other notable records: including 32 Big Macs in 38 minutes, 82 tacos in eight minutes and a 5.9-pound cone in ten minutes.
The maximum number of hot dogs a person can eat in 10 minutes is 83, according to a study published in 2020 that was based on 39 years of competition data.
The annual hot dog eating contest has been held every year since 1916.
In 2020, the American spectacle was held at a secret location and was only open to the media to help limit the spread of Covid-19. Last year, spectators were welcome, but the event was ticketed and held at Maimonides Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, to limit attendance as well.
On Monday, Louis and Yolene Colon of Brooklyn came with their 2-year-old daughter Jolene and their French bulldog Bella to watch the race.
They said they were a little disappointed that Mr. Chestnut did not beat his record, but were excited that their child could witness the race at his traditional venue.
“We wanted her to experience something so iconic,” said Mr. Colon, 38. “It’s history.”
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