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VIDEO: Joey Chestnut, Miki Sudo win 2014 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest »
By JULIE WALKER
NEW YORK — The Black Widow has been outeaten.
Three-time defending champion Sonya Thomas lost her hot dog eating title Friday to 28-year-old Miki Sudo of Las Vegas, who wolfed down 34 franks and buns in 10 minutes to win the women's division of the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island.
The 47-year-old Thomas, a native of South Korea who now lives in Alexandria, Virginia, was only able to devour 27¾ hot dogs and buns. She scarfed down a record 45 dogs and buns last year.
The men's division will be held later Friday.
Joey Chestnut, a 30-year-old San Jose, California, man nicknamed Jaws, hopes to put away his competition by downing a record 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes in the raucous event held just steps from the beach. Last year, Chestnut won with 69 franks and buns. Matt Stonie, who was second in 2013 with 51 dogs, returns for another run at the top spot.
07.04.2014 | NEW YORK -- Miki Sudo competes at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating contest at Coney Island in New York. Sudo defeated the reigning champion Sonya Thomas by eating 34 hot dogs and buns.
With Chestnut's seventh-straight victory last year, he bested his former rival, Takeru Kobayashi, with most consecutive wins. In 2010, Kobayashi refused to sign an exclusive contract with Major League Eating, the food equivalent of the NFL, and was banned from competition.
This year, the Japanese native nicknamed the Tsunami will compete against five other competitive eaters at a separate event on Fifth Avenue in a quest to down the most hot dogs without buns in 10 minutes.
Coney Island's top four competitors weighed in Thursday at a pre-contest event presided over by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
All the competitors said they were fasting, but Irish contestant Colin Shirlow grabbed a free hot dog during the weigh-in to get a first taste of the Nathan's Famous dogs they'll be gobbling down.