"The Heavy Rain Can't Stop Us"…Men Devoured 62, Women 39.5 in 'This Competition'

Hot Dog Contest Held for Independence Day
United in Spirit Despite Threat of Cancellation Due to Rain

On the 4th (local time), the hot dog contest held to celebrate the US Independence Day was at risk of being canceled due to rain, but it was held thanks to the enthusiasm of the participants.

The food symbolizing the US Independence Day is the hot dog. Accordingly, hot dogs often become the centerpiece of events, and in New York, the largest city in the US, a hot dog eating contest is held every year on Independence Day.

Hosted by an American sausage company, this contest has been held at Coney Island in New York since 1972. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was so popular that tens of thousands of spectators would gather.

Miki Sudo (right), the women's division winner of the New York Hot Dog Eating Contest held on the 4th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

This year, too, the outdoor venue was filled with spectators cheering on the contestants. In the women's division of the hot dog eating contest held in the morning, Miki Sudo (37) won by eating 39.5 hot dogs. After a close battle with her rival Mayo Ebihara, Sudo secured victory by eating half a hot dog more.

However, just before the men's division match scheduled for the afternoon, a sudden downpour occurred. Due to the heavy rain accompanied by lightning, concerns arose that the safety of tens of thousands of citizens could not be guaranteed, so the organizers canceled the men's division match in the afternoon and asked the audience at the venue to disperse.

On the 4th (local time), spectators stayed at the New York hot dog eating contest venue despite heavy rain.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

But most of the audience stayed at the venue. Their reason was that the hot dog eating contest should not be stopped because of the rain.

As a result, there were even confrontations with shouting between the audience and the organizers, prompting the New York Police Department (NYPD) to intervene.

Meanwhile, the weather conditions improved again, and eventually, the organizers changed their stance and decided to proceed with the contest.

Helen Velasquez (20), who stayed at the venue, pointed out in an interview with the New York Post that deciding to stop the event due to the heavy rain was a mistake.

Velasquez said, "Anyway, the contestants dip the hot dogs in water to eat them quickly during the match," adding that the rain does not affect the competition.

At the New York hot dog eating contest held on the 4th (local time), the judge declared Joey Chestnut the winner after he ate 62 hot dogs.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, in the men's division, Joey Chestnut (39) ate an astonishing 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes, winning his 16th title and becoming an 8-time consecutive champion. This result fell short of the initial expectation that he would eat about 71 hot dogs. However, since the contest was delayed for over two hours and resumed without sufficient notice to the participants, most contestants failed to maintain their condition and could not fully demonstrate their skills.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.