Joey Chestnut wins 16th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

Published 5:38 pm Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Eating superstar Joey “Jaws” Chestnut shook off a rain delay and gobbled his way to another win at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, downing 62 franks and buns in 10 minutes.

Chestnut out ate runnerup Geoffrey Esper and the rest of an international field of 15 competitive eaters by double digits to clinch his 16th title. Esper, of Oxford, Massachusetts managed to ingest 49 hot dogs and buns.

In the womens contest, defending champion Miki Sudo forced down 39 1/2 hot dogs and buns to collect her ninth Mustard Belt. But before the men could compete, stormy weather moved over New York Citys Coney Island and delayed the competition for two hours.

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“What a roller coaster, emotionally,” Chestnut said after riding out the rain and wondering whether the famed contest would go on at all. The 39yearold from Westfield, Indiana first competed for the Nathans title in 2005 and hasnt lost it since 2015.

His best finish was in 2021 when he tallied 76 hot dogs, but Tuesdays weather disruption made a repeat impossible.

“Everybody got messed up,” Chestnut said.

Sudo beat Mayoi Ebihara’s 33 1/2 hot dogs in 10 minutes in a womens event that appeared to be much closer until the final count was announced. The unofficial realtime counter showed the two leaders tied throughout much of the competition. A final count of plates settled the score.

Sudo, 37, was disappointed in her winning total, which was nine hot dogs short of her alltime high. She said competition from the 27yearold Ebihara had thrown her off.

“The first couple minutes, I found myself watching her, which I never want to do. I never want to be distracted by the other competitors,” Sudo, of Port Richey, Florida, said after the competition. “Watching her, I fumbled my hands. I got stuck with a big burp early on but was able to correct.”

The annual contest on New York City’s Coney Island drew competitors from England, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Brazil and Australia, according to ESPN.