It was another win for San Jose resident Joey “Jaws” Chestnut at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at New York’s Coney Island—and this year’s victory was a big one.
Chestnut broke his own record by downing 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win the title.
“That’s now the known world record,” said Teresa Brady, media manager for Major League Eating, the organization that runs the contest.
Second place went to another San Jose resident, Matt Stonie, who scarfed down 51 hot dogs, and third went to Tim Janus, of New York City, who ate 50, Brady said.
“My boy can eat hot dogs,” Joey Chestnut’s proud mother Alicia said in a phone interview from her Vallejo home this morning.
Alicia Chestnut said she spoke with her daughter, Joey’s sister, after the contest and was told that Joey is resting. Later, they will go out to eat.
“They were going to go for a steak dinner near their hotel,” she said.
This was Joey Chestnut’s seventh straight victory in the contest, which is held each year on the Fourth of July.
“They had fun and he beat his record, and he walked away without puking on anybody and that was good,” his mother said. “I don’t know how he does it because he looks a little woozy at the end.”
She said her son has always been competitive but in a good-natured way.
“He gets a secret pleasure out of beating you, but it’s not meanness, there’s no malice in there,” she said.
Joey Chestnut graduated from San Jose State University last year with a degree in civil engineering, and is still living in San Jose, his mother said.
These days, he’s mostly just having fun, although “he said he was going to get serious about looking for a job this year,” she said.
Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas won the women’s eating contest today, devouring 36 hot dogs.
Melissa McRobbie, Bay City News
