American competitive eater finishes 63 hot dogs in 10 minutes
American competitive eater Joey Chestnut won for the 15th time in the July 4 Nathan's hot dog eating contest as he gobbled 63 hot dogs in 10 minutes. The contest was held in New York City's Coney Island and featured America's quintessential cookout food. However, Chestnut couldn't break the record he set in 2020 by eating 76 franks and buns in 10 minutes.
The day also marked the contest's return to its traditional location after it was relocated in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chestnut had a leg injury and was seen wearing a surgical boot. "It hurts, but I was in the zone for a little bit. I was ignoring it," he said. The pain actually slowed him down during the 10-minute competition.
Joey Chestnut wins his 1️⃣5️⃣th Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating championship 🏆 pic.twitter.com/oyk84XEa0z
— ESPN (@espn) July 4, 2022
In an interview with AFP, Chestnut revealed that he trains by eating hot dogs and participates in eating contests at least once a week. After the performance, he said that he will not touch food again for the whole day. Geoffrey Esper with 47.5 franks and buns was the second winner and James Webb came third at 41.
In the women's category, Miko Sudo of Tampa, Florida won by eating 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes. This year marked Sudo's return to competitive eating as last year she could not participate due to her pregnancy. However, the 36-year-old mother also couldn't beat her record set in 2020 when she ate 48 and a half weiners and buns in 10 minutes.
Have you ever wondered what makes Sudo and Chestnut the top competitive eaters? Well, competitive eaters from all over America and Australia do not chew their food but simply swallow the food by dunking them in soda or water without gagging. They can hold more food in their stomach as they tend to have larger and more stretchy flaccid stomachs from birth or training.
