NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago devoured 58 hot dogs to win his first men’s title Thursday at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July tournament. Hot dog eating contest.
Bertoletti won a grueling 10-minute race, with the leader competing back and forth. Bertoletti, 39, defeated 13 competitors from around the world in a test to see who could eat the most hot dogs in 10 minutes.
“I wasn’t going to stop eating until I finished the job,” Bertoletti said.
Bertoletti broke his previous record of 55 hot dogs at the event, which is held every Independence Day at Coney Island in New York.
The current men’s champion, Joey “Juice” Chestnut, did not attend this year’s competition due to Tiff careInstead, Chestnut will compete against soldiers at a U.S. Army base in El Paso later today. Chestnut has won 16 of the previous 17 competitions.
Bertoletti said he had lost weight and trained “urgently” for three months to prepare for Thursday’s event, believing he had a good chance of winning.
“With Joey out, I knew I had a chance,” he said. “I was able to discover something that I don’t know where it came from. But I’m not complaining.”
Earlier Thursday, defending champion Miki Sudo of Florida won her 10th women’s title.
Sudo ate 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes – setting a new world record for women.
“I am so happy that I can say that this will be mine for another year,” Sudo said after winning her 10th pink belt.
The 38-year-old dental hygiene student won last year after being forced to eat 39 and a half hot dogs.
Sudo also beat out 13 other contestants, including her 28-year-old rival Mayoi Ebihara of Japan. Ebihara came in second place after eating 37 hot dogs in 10 minutes. She was also the runner-up in 2023.
Bertoletti’s win marks the first time the coveted Mustard Belt has gone to someone other than Chestnut since 2015.
Thousands of fans flock each year to the event held outside Nathan’s original location on Brooklyn’s Coney Island, a seaside destination with theme parks and a summer carnival culture.
Competitors came from over a dozen countries and five continents, with prospects from Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia and the Czech Republic vying for the prestigious title and $10,000 in prize money.
last year chestnutAmerican John Kerry, from Indiana, managed to win the title after he was able to digest 62 dogs and meat in 10 minutes. His record in 2021 was 76 dogs.
Chestnuts were first uninvited From the event through a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, a company specializing in plant-based meat alternatives.
Major League Eating, which organizes Nathan’s Famous, has since announced it has reversed the ban, but Chestnut decided to spend the holiday with the troops anyway.
Chestnut said he would not return to the Coney Island competition without an apology.
The event is scheduled to start at Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso at 5 p.m. EST and will use traditional hot dogs, with Chestnut trying to eat more than four soldiers in five minutes.
While he won’t be eating their plant-based products, Impossible Foods is promoting the show’s YouTube livestream by flying banners over Los Angeles and Miami. A company spokesperson said it will also donate to an organization that supports military families based on the number of hot dogs eaten at the event.
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Haig sent his report from Hartford, Connecticut.