Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty
Joey Chestnut just proved his competitive eating skills once again.
The 38-year-old snagged his 15th win at the 4th of July Nathan’s Famous Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York.
On Monday, Chestnut managed to eat a total of 63 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Though the feat is certainly impressive, it was not a personal best for Chestnut as last year, he ate a record 76 hot dogs in the contest.
“It’s beautiful to be back here,” Chestnut told ESPN after the contest changed locations in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite having to wear a surgical boot due to a leg injury, Chesnut said he couldn’t be slowed down during the contest. “It hurts, but I was in the zone for a little bit. I was ignoring it,” he said.
Chestnut’s runner-up, Geoffrey Esper, put down a total of 47.5 hot dogs on Monday.
RELATED: Joey Chestnut Eats a Record 76 Hot Dogs (and Buns!) to Win 14th Nathan’s July 4 Eating Contest
In the women’s division, top-ranked competitor Miki Sudo returned after missing the 2021 event due to her pregnancy. (Michelle Lesco ended up winning the 2021 title after eating 30 ¾ hot dogs in 10 minutes.)
This time around, Sudo earned the title after eating 40 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
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Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Geoffrey Esper
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Ahead of last year’s competition, Chestnut told ESPN he had been “looking forward to [it] all year,” having missed spectators in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and competing indoors.
Two years ago, the competition was held indoors rather than outdoors in a new setup due to the restrictions brought on by the pandemic.
The event still took place in Coney Island, but “in a private location with COVID-19 safety measures in place,” according to Major League Eating (MLE), which officially sanctions Nathan’s contest. The venue featured a 30-foot-long table with only five competitors compared to the typical 15.
Following his 2021 victory, Chesnut told ESPN that “it just felt good” to be in front of a crowd again and have them rooting for him. “Even if I was uncomfortable, having everybody cheer me and push me, it made me feel good,” he added.
This year, Nathan’s Famous made its annual donation of 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City.
