Many people don’t consider competitive eating a sport, but this is America, and it is the Fourth of July, so the heavyweights in the field gathered once again at New York City’s Coney Island. This year’s iteration of the competition drew competitors from England, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, and Australia. However, as usual, they were all eating for second place.
With Joey “Jaws” Chestnut in the field, the only questions were whether he would break his record and how big would his margin of victory be. Chestnut didn’t beat his record, but he outpaced the other 14 competitors by double digits to take home yet another aptly named Mustard Belt.
Chestnut gobbled down 62 glizzies in ten minutes, bun included, of course. Runner-up Geoffrey Espe of Oxford, Massachusetts, managed 49 Nathan’s dogs with buns but never stood a chance against Chestnut, despite the reigning champ’s slow start.
The women’s competition took place first, and defending champion Miki Sudo choked down a respectable 39½ hot dogs and buns to collect her ninth Mustard Belt. The Port Richey, Florida, resident was locked in a heated, neck-and-neck battle with Mayoi Ebihara.
However, despite the win, Sudo was disappointed in her performance. She said: “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. Watching her, I fumbled my hands. I got stuck with a big burp early on but was able to correct.”
After a final plate count, Sudo was declared the winner. However, before the men could belly up to the table, storms moved through the area. There was talk of canceling the men’s competition altogether, but the competitors persevered, and after the clouds parted, the competition was on.
Unfortunately for Chestnut, the delay threw off his routine and contributed to his lower-than-normal dog count. Despite that, the competition couldn’t ketchup, and the 39-year-old from Westfield, Indiana, brought home another title.
Jaws first competed for the Nathan’s title in 2005 and hasn’t lost it since 2015. Chestnut is usually so dialed in that he is able to block out any distractions whilst throwing down weiners. In fact, last year, a protestor in a Darth Vader costume made the mistake of rushing the stage. Without missing a bite, Chestnut put him in a headlock until security took over and removed the fake Sith Lord.
After the competition, and presumably between burps, Chestnut said: “What a roller coaster, emotionally. Everybody got messed up,”
While many dismiss the competition as a silly display of American excess, Chestnut and his fellow competitors don’t. Whether it is a sport is debatable, but there is no mistaking the competitive spirit.
Reaching the pinnacle of any endeavor takes a great deal of work and dedication, even if it is eating glizzies. The prize money is real, and the title is prestigious. In fact, the Nathan’s competition is as synonymous with Independence Day as fireworks and parades. Congratulations to Jaws Chestnut and Miki Sudo on their victories and on keeping the most American of competitions in the hands of Americans.
Featured image screen grab from embedded YouTube video
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