The undisputed king of the world competitive-eating circuit, Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi, retained his title on Tuesday, wolfing down a world-record 53-and-three-quarters hot dogs in just 12 minutes.
The 28-year-old “gurgitator” from Nagano, Japan, won the coveted Mustard Yellow Belt — the World Cup of competitive eating — for the sixth successive year, but only after the great United States hope, Joey Chestnut, came close to pulling off a stunning upset.
Kobayashi’s final tally was just one-quarter of a hot dog more than his own 2004 world mark of 53-and-a-half — also set at the annual July 4 Nathan’s Famous Hot-Dog Eating Competition in New York’s Coney Island.
While the Japanese national has blown away the competition in the past, he was pushed all the way this year by Chestnut (22), who was actually leading at the halfway stage but faded in the home stretch to end up with a total of 52 dogs.
Third place, with 37 dogs, went to the world’s top-ranked female competitive eater, Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas, a diminutive Korean-American weighing in at just 45kg.
“I hit a wall and just felt really tired,” said a clearly disappointed Chestnut, who had been cheered on by the partisan crowd of about 15 000 people who chose to spend their Independence Day standing in sweltering heat watching 20 people stuff themselves with franks and buns.
“It’s a tough contest, and Kobayashi is a great competitor, but I’ll be back next year,” said Chestnut, a construction engineer.
The Japanese victor, who also holds world records for scoffing down cows’ brains and rice balls, said he had relished being pushed for the title.
“I was watching him,” Kobayashi said of his new rival. “The pressure made me stronger.”
Nathan’s Famous Hot-Dog Eating Competition has been held every year at Coney Island since 1916 and is considered the blue-riband event of the increasingly popular and lucrative competitive eating calendar.
Most participants now use the “Solomon technique” patented by Kobayashi, breaking the wieners in half before wolfing them down. The buns are eaten separately after being dunked in water to make them easier to swallow.
The only real rule is to avoid regurgitation — or “reversal of fortune” as it is quaintly termed — which would result in immediate disqualification. — AFP