Joey “Jaws” Chestnut successfully defended his title this Fourth of July, earning his 16th Mustard Belt at the 2023 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest.
After thunderstorms threatened to rain on Chestnut’s parade, causing a two-hour weather delay, the hot dog eating champion started off the competition strong, quickly outpacing his fellow competitive eaters. Though he was unable to break his world record of 76 hot dogs, Chestnut managed to consume a staggering 62 hot dogs in just 10 minutes, earning him another place in the annual contest’s history books, according to CBS Sports.
“They told us it was canceled,” Chestnut told CNN of the rain. “We weren’t sure we were gonna eat today. I’m just happy. It’s the 4th of July, I got to eat some hot dogs and get a win.”
“I feel great. I’ve got leftover room, so I’ll be having some beers later,” Chestnut added.
Joey Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest for a record 16th time, and Miki Sudo downed 39.5 dogs to win the women’s competition for the 9th straight time https://t.co/370VPh1DHr
— CNN (@CNN) July 4, 2023
Chestnut’s 62 dog win was just one short of the 63 dogs that earned him a victory in 2022. Though he fell a little short of his previous endeavors, Chestnut still managed to consume 13 more hot dogs than Geoffrey Esper, who managed to eat his way into a second-place finish. James Webb finished the competition in third place by eating 47 hot dogs and buns, the outlet noted. (RELATED: The Legendary Joey Chestnut Admits To Pooping Himself During An Eating Competition)
The women’s competition also saw a returning champion retain her title. Miki Sudo earned her ninth consecutive Mustard Belt by consuming a total of 39.5 hot dogs and buns. Her closest competitor, Mayoi Ebihara finished second with 33.5 hot dogs and buns.