Joey Chestnut wins 15th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

Joey Chestnut’s feats have almost become a July 4th tradition. The competitive eater consumed 63 hotdogs and buns in ten minutes to win the annual Fourth of July Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York for the 15th time in 16 years. It was his seventh consecutive victory.

The Kentucky native and Indiana resident nicknamed “Jaws” arrived at the competition in crutches, but having a ruptured tendon did not prevent him from defending his title. He finished the contest by a wide margin of 20 ahead of runner-up Geoffrey Esper. Nick Wehry was in third place with 40 hot dogs eaten.

Joey Chestnut misses record by a mile

Chestnut fell far short of his own record of 76 frankfurters which he set last year. The last time he ate less than 70 was n 2013, when he finished with a tally of 69.

Miki Sudo: Women’s champion

Miki Sudo prevailed in the women’s division and reclaimed her title by downing 40 hot dogs. She missed the competition last year due to pregnancy. This amount is also way below her record of 48 1/2 hot dogs that she set in 2020. The 36-year-old has also dominated the hot dog-eating scene, bagging her eighth title since 2014.

The 2022 edition of the famous tournament returned to its traditional venue outside Nathan’s restaurant in Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York City. The contest was held at another location the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

About 20 participants compete in the yearly contest, which has been sanctioned by Major League Eating since 1997.

Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest has been an Independence Day tradition for decades. It was attended by tens of thousands this year.