Joey Chestnut Wins Record Seventh Consecutive Hot Dog Eating Contest - East Idaho News
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Joey Chestnut Wins Record Seventh Consecutive Hot Dog Eating Contest

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172623793?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1372961394567Photo by Monika Graff/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The 2013 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest re-crowned two reigning champions — Joey Chestnut and Sonya Thomas.

Chestnut earned his seventh straight title in the men’s race, scarfing down 69 hot dogs and setting a new world record. He ate 18 more hot dogs than his nearest competitor.

Chestnut, who hails from San Jose, Calif., and earned the nickname “Jaws,” took home $10,000 and a bejeweled mustard-yellow champion’s belt.

Matt Stonie, 21, came in second, devouring 51 hot dogs.

Chestnut’s eating rival, Takeru Kobayashi, did not compete in the 97th  annual competitive hot dog eating event at Coney Island this year. But Chestnut bested Kobayashi’s record of six titles in a row with this year’s win.

In the women’s race, Sonya Thomas, of Alexandria, Va., picked up her third consecutive title. The competitor called “Black Widow” ate 36 and three-quarters hot dogs and buns to win the women’s competition.

Juliet Lee was the front runner for much of the race, but Thomas caught up with less than two minutes to go.

When the buzzer sounded, Lee trailed Thomas by just a fraction of a dog.

The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest has been a holiday tradition for 97 years.  The contest requires eaters to consume the entire hot dog and bun and any “reversal of fortune,” Major League Eating’s term for vomiting, results in an automatic disqualification.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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