The champion reigned supreme as Joey Chestnut staved off a horde of hungry challengers at the annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest on New York’s Coney Island.
Chestnut endured sweltering temperatures to wolf down 66 franks and buns in 10 minutes and claim his 18th Mustard Belt during the Independence Day tradition.
His next closest competitor, Patrick Bertoletti, managed to eat 51 wieners for a distant second.
“I knew right away that I was fast, and I knew I was going to be able to get the win — and I knew also I wasn’t going to break the record — but I just had to stay calm, don’t push things, don’t make any big mistakes,” Chestnut told ESPN after retaining the belt.
The competitive eating savant set the record in 2021 when he devoured 76 hot dogs in the 10-minute ordeal. This year’s winning mark fell short of the 70.5 hot dogs that the 42-year-old inhaled in last year’s victory.
Legal troubles had threatened to keep Chestnut away from one of the marquee events among professional eaters.
The Kentucky native pleaded guilty in April to a misdemeanor battery charge after he slapped a restaurant patron in Westfield, Indiana.
A Hamilton County judge sentenced him to 180 days of probation for the altercation, but did grant him permission to travel outside the state so he could defend his crown.
Chestnut also reflected on how significant it was to chow down in front of a crowd as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.
“Eating here on the Fourth of July is a dream, it’s electric,” he said. “There’s no place better on earth.”
In the women’s competition, Miki Sudo kept hold of her Pink Belt by gobbling 38.75 hot dogs.
“I just said I would have to rely on muscle memory, and the crowd really carried me through to another belt today,” the New Yorker told ESPN in a post-victory interview.
Sudo, 40, has been the perennial queen of the Fourth of July feast ever since she first entered the competition in 2014.
The only time she didn’t win was in 2021, when she skipped out on the Coney Island trip because she was pregnant.
“I wasn’t the fastest out of the gate, but I’m known for my consistency, so that really wasn’t a concern of mine,” Sudo said. “I guess I refuse to lose, I refuse to give up, and when I do stumble, I get right back up.”
