It's a 4th of July tradition. Yesterday, six-time champ Takeru Kobayashi downed a record hot dogs to become the unofficial winner of this year's Nathan's hot dog eating competition. Unofficial because the actual Nathan's Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Competition happened seven miles away on Coney Island.
While rival Joey Chestnut claimed this year's official title, eating 62 hot dogs, Kobayashi had himself a simultaneous eating competition on the roof of a Manhattan high-rise -- and ate seven more dogs to break the world record. Of course, Nathan's refuses to acknowledge Kobayashi's win: Takeru Kobayashi Downs 69 Hot Dogs at Unofficial July 4 Contest.
The Japanese eater, who claimed the Nathan's title six years in a row from 2001- 2006, chose to battle the lineup of Brooklyn contenders from atop the rooftop nightclub 230 Fifth, due to a contract dispute between him and organizers of the Coney Island contest.Kobayashi says he is banned from the Nathan's event due to a two year old contract dispute with Major League Eating which oversees the Nathan's annual event. If you remember, Kobayashi was arrested last year after he stormed the stage of the Nathan's contest.
As a massive screen simulcast the live coverage of the Nathan's contest, Kobayashi stood at a table nearby and downed 69 dogs in 10 minutes - one better than reigning champ Joey Chesnut's record-breaking 2009 mark, and seven more than Chesnut's winning 62-dog intake Monday.
Hundreds of spectators packed the roof to watch the gustatory feat, offering chants of "Kobi!" as he neared the world record.
Kobayashi - who weighed in at 140 pounds before the contest and 158 pounds after - said history was made in Manhattan Monday, despite Nathan's organizers refusing to acknowledge the win.
A spokeswoman for Coney Island contest host Major League Eating said she could not comment on Kobayashi's claims of a new world record, except to say that the group did not recognize it as valid.
Chestnut might have the trophy, but we all know who the real winner is. (I suppose "winner" is relative. Anyone who eats 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes is going to lose, one way or another.) Kobayashi forever! More here: Did Kobayashi beat Chestnut's record?