Frankly speaking, Sudo has it down
Las Vegan wins fourth straight hot dog title
NEW YORK — Las Vegan Miki Sudo chomped and powered her way through 41 wriggling franks and water-soaked buns on Tuesday to claim a fourth straight women’s title at the annual Nathan’s Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest.
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut continued his record-setting reign as the men’s chowing champion, downing 72 hot dogs and buns on a hot, sunny day on the Coney Island boardwalk, to beat his own record and hoist the Mustard Belt for a 10th time. The San Jose, California, competitor bested up-andcomer Carmen Cincotti, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, who ate 60 franks and buns on his 24th birthday.
Chestnut has dominated the chowdown throwdown for years, eating 70 franks and buns last year to top his then-record and take back the title from Matt
“The Megatoad” Stonie. The 25-year-old Stonie came in third on Tuesday, with 48 franks and buns.
“There’s no secret, I love to eat, and I love doing it, I love to win, so I had to figure out my body and push it to the limit,” a sweating Chestnut said after his win. The 33-year-old said he’d hoped to down even more dogs but was leaving feeling good.
Cincotti said he’d eaten a thousand hot dogs since May in preparation for his second try at the Mustard Belt. Getting to even second place is “surreal — I grew up watching this contest,” he said.
Meanwhile, the women’s side has featured a yearslong rivalry between Sudo and record-holder Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, of Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas, who’s 50, came in third on Tuesday with 30 dogs and buns, well shy of her record 45.
Sudo told ESPN she “just came back better than ever” this year. She’s 31; Lesco is 33.
One of America’s most outlandish July Fourth traditions, the contest dates to 1972, though the company has for years promoted what a former president acknowledged was a legendary start date of 1916.