Chestnut Breaks Record Downing 74 Hot Dogs At Coney Island; Sudo Defends With 37 Dogs
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Defending champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut chomped down a record 74 franks and buns to take home his 11th title at the annual Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest.
The renowned competitive eater from San Jose, California, takes home the coveted Mustard Belt and surpassed the previous mark of 72 dogs and buns he downed last year.
Miki Sudo said after eating 37 dogs and buns that the heat may have slowed her down in winning the women's competition.
That didn't stop the Las Vegas eater from easily beating out second-place finisher Mischelle Lesco of Tuscon, Arizona, who chowed down 28 wieners and buns.
Sudo was a fan favorite, drawing big cheers from the crowd during her performance, which was slightly delayed after she requested new water to soak her buns.
MORE: How Does Nathan's Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest Actually Work?
Thousands of attendees braved 83 degree temperatures and a heat index of 91 degrees to witness the annual July Fourth competition on the Coney Island boardwalk.
Both Chestnut and Sudo walked away in first place last year as well.
In the 2017 faceoff, Chestnut ate 72 hot dogs in 10 minutes to defend his title against the only competitor to beat him in the last 10 years — Matt "Megatoad" Stonie. Chestnut beat his own previous record of 70.
Sudo ate 41 hot dogs last year to beat 98-pound "The Black Widow" Sonya Thomas.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)