Champa Bay is once again Chompa Bay after Tampa's Miki Sudo won her 11th consecutive championship at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest.
The 39-year-old downed 33 dogs and buns Friday, which was good enough for the title, although it was far short of her record of 51 links from last year's competition in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
“I feel like I let the fans down a little bit. I heard people in the crowd saying, ‘Go for 52,’” Sudo told ESPN. “Obviously, I’m always setting my goals high, but the hot dogs weren’t cooperating. For some reason, the buns felt larger today.”
She wasn't the only one from Tampa to compete; her husband, Nicholas Wehry, placed sixth on the men's side by eating 41¾ hot dogs.
The men's winner was, as expected, Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, the competitive eating legend from Indiana who crammed down 70½ weiners after missing last year's Nathan's competition due to a contract issue. Chestnut secured his 17th Mustard Belt in 20 appearances, although he was short of his 2021 record of 76.
“I wish I ate a couple more. Sorry guys,” Chestnut told the crowd. “I’ll be back next year.”
Wehry, 36, is a former bodybuilder and the world's No. 5-ranked competitive eater with a Nathan's personal best of 44½ franks from 2021.
Wehry and Sudo are known in the eating challenge community as "The Hungry Couple."
Their paths first crossed in 2018 at a hotel gym just hours before competing at that year's Nathan's competition in Coney Island.
"It wasn't quite love at first bite, but the two started dating the following year," their website writes.
He proposed in 2021 after gulping down a record-breaking 50 hard-boiled eggs in 3 minutes, 4 seconds during a contest. They soon were married and now have a 3-year-old son.
Chestnut bested 14 fellow men's competitors, including last year's winner, Patrick Bertoletti, who came in second place after gobbling up 46½ hot dogs.
“I love being here," Chestnut told ESPN. "As soon as I found out I was coming (back), my body — it was easy to train. I love doing it. And love pushing myself and beating the heck out of people.”
The yearly bun battle, which dates to 1972, sees large crowds in foam hot-dog hats gather in front of the original Nathan’s restaurant in Brooklyn to cheer on the competitors as they chow down.
The contestants are allowed to dunk the dogs in cups of water to soften them up, creating a stomach-churning spectacle. After 10 minutes, the one who downs the most weiners is the winner.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
