Joey Chestnut wins 16th hot dog eating contest, sets new record

Joey Chestnut, the undisputed king of competitive eating, has done it again. He won his 16th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, setting a new record for the most titles in the history of the event.

Chestnut devoured 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, beating his closest rival Geoffrey Esper by 13 dogs. He fell short of his own world record of 76 dogs, which he set last year, but he still impressed the crowd at Coney Island, New York, with his voracious appetite and speed.

The contest was delayed for almost two hours due to inclement weather, which Chestnut said affected his performance. “What a rollercoaster emotionally,” he said after the victory. “They told us it was canceled. We weren’t sure we were going to eat today, and I’m just happy. It’s the Fourth of July and I got to eat some hot dogs and get a win.”

Chestnut has dominated Nathan’s hot dog eating contest since 2007, losing only once in 2015 to Matt Stonie. He has won more championships than any other eater in the contest’s roughly 50-year history, surpassing the legendary Takeru Kobayashi, who won six times from 2001 to 2006.

In the women’s division, Miki Sudo won her ninth title with 39.5 hot dogs and buns, edging out rookie Mayoi Ebihara of Japan, who ate 33.5 dogs. Sudo holds the women’s world record of 48.5 dogs, which she achieved in 2017.

The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual tradition that dates back to 1916, when the first official contest was held at the flagship restaurant on Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island. The event attracts thousands of spectators and millions of viewers on ESPN every year.

The contest is sanctioned by Major League Eating, the governing body of all stomach-centric sports. The winners receive $10,000 each and the coveted mustard belt, a symbol of gastronomic glory.

The contest also raises money for charity, with Nathan’s donating 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City this year.

• How many hot dogs did Joey Chestnut eat in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest?
• Joey Chestnut wins 16th hot dog eating championship after rain delay
• Joey Chestnut eats 62 hot dogs for 16th Nathan’s hot dog eating contest title, while Miki Sudo named women’s champion
• Nathan’s hot dog eating contest crowns Joey Chestnut men’s champion and Miki Sudo women’s champion
• Joey Chestnut, Miki Sudo sweep Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest between weather delay
• Joey Chestnut wins 8th consecutive hot dog eating contest