Series winner Joey Chestnut set a new record at the hot dog competition at New York’s Coney Island amusement park. The 37-year-old Californian squeezed 76 sausages into buns in ten minutes on Sunday, improving his previous best performance of 2020 by one hot dog. According to the organizers, this is a new world record. Chestnut has already won for the 14th time, in 2013, for example, his best was still 69 hot dogs.
There was also a competition for women: There won the 37-year-old teacher Michelle Lesco with almost 31 hot dogs (30,75). However, it was far below the world record that Miki Sudo set last year with 48.5 hot dogs in ten minutes. It had been Sudo’s seventh victory in the competition. The 35-year-old quick-eater sat out this time, she is heavily pregnant.
Long tradition
In front of a cheering audience, the participants stood side by side at a long table and stuffed the sausages and rolls with both hands. Thousands of people watched the spectacle. Last year, the event had been held without spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Coney Island beach area has been the site of a marketing campaign since 1972, and has been held annually since July 4th for U.S. Independence Day. The venue is the Nathan’s Famous fast food restaurant, which opened in 1916.
