News Digest

Dog gone: Extreme eating champ chomps through 62 hot dogs to claim title

Matt Stonie shocked the competitive eating world on Saturday by upsetting Joey “Jaws” Chestnut at the Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island, breaking Chestnut’s bid for a ninth straight victory. Stonie, 23, who finished second last year, downed 62 hot dogs and buns, beating Chestnut by two. As thousands of spectators observed the eaters on an elevated stage, the next closest competitor ate 32 hot dogs. Early in the contest, Chestnut seemed to have a slight edge but Stonie moved ahead after several minutes and seemed to be slowly extending his lead until the final bell.

I’ve been looking for competition for a long time and I finally have it. He made me hungry.

Joey Chestnut

The men’s contest came more than an hour after the women competed, with defending champion Miki Sudo capturing first place with a flourish that emphasized strategy rather than condiments. The Las Vegas woman ate 38 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to claim the title for the second straight year, along with the $10,000 that comes with it. She retained the coveted mustard yellow winner’s championship belt after downing four more wieners than last year and besting Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas of Alexandria, Virginia, who devoured 31 hot dogs.