A 23 year-old college student has dethroned a legend.
Takeru Kobayashi’s incredible run of six consecutive titles is now a thing of the past, thanks to San Jose State University student Joey “Jaws” Chestnut’s record-breaking performance in the 2007 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut, who was ranked 2nd by the International Federation of Competitive Eating, scarfed down a record 66 HDBs (hot dogs and buns), edging Kobayashi’s total of 63. Both competitors’ 2007 totals exceeded anything previously seen in Nathan’s competition history, and in the end, the underdog prevailed.
The 29 year-old Kobayashi, known in the eating circuit as “The Tsunami”, had won every Nathan’s belt from 2001 to 2006 along with countless others. He averaged 50.2 HDBs per 12-minute championship over his remarkable reign, and is the #1 eater in the world, according to the IFOCE. But the upstart Chestnut proved too much this afternoon in pulling off a truly historic gorging.
Looking back on the Nagano native’s dominance, it’s clear he has to be included on the list of most dominant athletes of our generation. With today’s heartbreaking loss and reports indicating that he was suffering from jaw arthritis going into today’s title bout, it is clear he is entering the decline of his career. According to that same Darren Rovell report, he almost withdrew from today’s championship after his mother’s recent passing, but chose to carry on.
Despite their cultural differences, the two bun munchers weren’t exactly foreign to each other coming in to today’s coronation. At last year’s Nathan’s event, when Chestnut was just a rookie, Kobayashi narrowly defeated him, 53.75-52. The day was significant because although the result was expected, it was the best an American had ever fared against The Tsunami. In hindsight, we now see it was a sign of things to come.
This afternoon, Chestnut won his first Coney Island title at the same age (23) that Kobayashi was when he won his first in 2001. With The Tsunami’s future in question, will “Jaws” rise to similar heights? Only time will tell. What we do know is that today’s result signals a passing of the torch in competitive eating. Kobayashi’s dynasty is on the brink, and a young hot dog phenom has staked his claim as the heir to the throne.
