The annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is the greatest 10-minute encapsulation of American independence, and Miki Sudo and Patrick Bertoletti left Coney Island on Thursday as the rightful owners of the coveted pink belt and mustard belt.
Sudo rose to legendary glizzy gobbling status earlier in the day, crushing a women’s world-record 51 franks to dominate both the field and her digestive system en route to her 10th pink belt.
Mayoi “Ebimayo” Ebihara — whose nickname translates to “shrimp mayonnaise” — gave Sudo a run for her money in the second half of the women’s competition, finishing with a personal best of 37 total dogs, but Sudo pulled away in the home stretch of a historic performance.
Miki Sudo wins her tenth Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest 🌭
🎥 @ESPNpic.twitter.com/NVDRrpehfc
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 4, 2024
In the men’s round an hour later, Bertoletti housed a personal-best 58 weiners to win the mustard belt, but the focus of the competition was more about who wasn’t there: Joey Chestnut. After 16 career mustard belts, Chestnut did not participate due to a contract he signed to represent a rival hot dog brand.
Chesnut, who ate a world-record 76 HDBs (hot dogs and buns) at the event in 2021, will be competing on Labor Day…
