Joey Chestnut downs 70 hot dogs, breaks record at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

BY ANNA SPIVAK & MARIA ELENA PEREZ

And the wiener is… Joey Chestnut!

The 100^th Anniversary of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest was an all-out celebration on Monday, July 4 – paying homage to the country’s independence, the famed-hot dog vendor and broke some records to boot.

Clocking in at a whopping 70 hotdogs scarfed down, California native Joey Chestnut took home the Mustard Belt, his ninth title and the record for most hot dogs eaten in under 10 minutes in the history of the contest.

“This is a terrific event,” said Coney Island USA Founder Dick Zigun. “The new record was set and there was tremendous international attention for Coney Island. The fun, unique Coney Island style event captured the attention of ESPN and the rest of the world.”

Miki Sudo, the top female winner and defending champion, downed 38 and half hot dogs in 10 minutes to retain her Hot Dog Eating Contest title.

After the contest, Nathan’s donated 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City. Chestnut and Sudo took home $10,000 as the first place winners.

“This year’s July 4 event was the most spectacular I have seen in 25 years, and  a perfect way to celebrate Nathan’s Famous’ 100th anniversary,” added George Shea, the famed contest’s emcee. “It was an incredibly beautiful day, and the crowd was huge, but, what stood out most was Joey Chestnut’s record-breaking performance.

“Chestnut set a new Coney Island record of 70 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes,” he continued. “Joey’s come-from-behind win sets up an epic rematch next year with former champ Matt Stonie.”