Chicago’s Patrick Bertoletti won his first men’s title at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Bertoletti won by consuming 58 hot dogs in a close 10-minute race that saw the leader weave back and forth and beat his personal best of 55 hot dogs.
Bertoletti, 39, defeated 13 competitors from around the world. The current men’s champion, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, did not attend this year’s competition due to a sponsorship issue.
Instead, he will compete against soldiers at a U.S. Army base in El Paso later in the day.
Earlier, defending champion Miki Sudo of Florida won her 10th title in the women’s division.
Patrick Bertoletti won his first title with 58 hot dogs at the Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest
Major League Eating, which hosts the Nathan’s Famous contest, has since said it has reversed the ban, but Chestnut decided to spend the holiday with the troops anyway.
Chestnut said he would not return to the Coney Island pageant without an apology.
The event at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Eastern time, will use traditional sausages and Chestnut will attempt to out-eat four soldiers in five minutes.
Even though you won’t eat its vegan products, Impossible Foods is promoting Chestnut’s livestream of the exhibit on YouTube by flying planes with banners over Los Angeles and Miami.
Miki Sudo set a new world record in the women’s competition by eating 50 hot dogs in 10 minutes
Last year’s men’s pageant winner, Joey Chestnut, is suspended due to sponsorship issues.
Fans held up cardboard signs to express their disapproval of Chestnut’s exclusion this year in New York.
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT: People dressed up as hot dogs in a parking lot in Coney Island, New York
The company will also donate to an organization that supports military families based on the number of hot dogs consumed at the event, a spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, in the women’s competition, dental hygiene student Miki Sudo from Florida won her 10th title after eating 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes, setting a new world record for women in the process.
The 38-year-old defending champion won last year after consuming 39 1/2 hot dogs, while her personal best is 48 1/2, which was the women’s world record until today.
Sudo defeated 14 competitors from around the world, including her 28-year-old rival, Japan’s Mayoi Ebihara. Ebihara came in second after eating 37 hot dogs in 10 minutes. She was also runner-up in 2023.
Others preferred to show their patriotism by dressing up as stars and stripes and Uncle Sam.
Competitors and fans from around the world gather to celebrate the annual event.
Thousands of fans flock each year to the event held outside the original Nathan’s location in Coney Island, Brooklyn, a beachfront destination with amusement parks and a carnival-like summer culture.
Last year, Chestnut, from Indiana, earned the title by devouring 62 sausages and biscuits in 10 minutes. The record, which he set in 2021, is 76.
Before the event, ESPN said it would focus on two Americans with dedicated camera shots: Massachusetts high school teacher Geoffrey Esper in the men’s division and Sudo in the women’s.
Esper finished second last year with 49 dogs and rabbits, although his personal best is 51.