A new men’s champion was crowned at the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Thursday, while defending women’s champ Miki Sudo broke her own record eating 51 dogs in her 10th time winning the competition.
Patrick Bertoletti, 39, took the men’s title, eating 58 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in his first time winning the contest, a personal best. He has been competing since 2006, according to Major League Eating, which operates the annual July Fourth contest.
Mr. Bertoletti’s previous personal best was 55 dogs. The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Contest men’s record is 76 hot dogs, eaten by men’s champion Joey Chestnut in 2021.
Mr. Chestnut was barred from this year’s competition because he signed a deal with Impossible Foods, a Nathan’s competitor that makes plant-based hot dogs. Mr. Chestnut had won 16 times between 2007 and 2023, coming in second in 2006 and 2015.
In Mr. Chestnut’s absence, there was no prohibitive favorite. However, ESPN did have its cameras prepared on its ESPN3 channel for the defending women’s champion, Ms. Sudo, and for men’s competitor Geoffrey Esper, 49.
Mr. Esper came in second behind Mr. Bertoletti, chowing down 53 hot dogs. He previously came in second to Mr. Chestnut in 2023, 2022 and 2021.
On the women’s side, Ms. Sudo broke her own record by eating 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Her old record was 48.5 dogs, set in 2020.
“I’m just happy to call this mine for another year,’ Ms. Sudo, 38, said after her win.
When announcing Mr. Chestnut’s ban last month, Major League Eating said, “Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We would love nothing more than to have him at [the contest] which he has dominated for years.” The organization later walked back the ban, although Mr. Chestnut has said he will not return to the annual Coney Island contest without an apology, according to the AP.
Mr. Chestnut competed in an alternate competition at U.S. Army Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. He competed against four soldiers stationed at the base, eating 57 traditional hot dogs in five minutes to their combined 49.
Although its products are not being used in the contest, Impossible Foods is flying banners promoting the event over Los Angeles and Miami.
The company also will make a donation to an organization supporting military families, with the amount determined by the number of hot dogs scarfed down during the event, a spokesperson told the Associated Press.
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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