Not even a delay caused by heavy rain destroyed the mood of Joey Chestnut to devour the hotdog-eating competition.
Chestnut again ruled the Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest by gobbling 62 franks and buns, 13 more than anyone in the competition.
While 62 is already impressive, that is 14 short of his record of 76 hotdogs last 2021.
"It didn't come together," he said after the competition.
"I got leftover room, so I'm going to be having some beers later."
It was a close competition below Chestnut. Geoffrey Esper ate 49 to finish in 2nd place, while James Webb, 34, finished the competition by digesting 47.
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This is Chestnut's 16th title since 2004. He has eaten 1,150 hotdogs overall and will again go home with the Mustard Belt.
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has been around since 1972 and is held annually at the Nathan's Famous Corporation.
Women's competition was just as impressive
Over at the women's category, Miki Sudo also successfully defended her title by forcing down 39.5 hot dogs and buns. This is her ninth title overall.
Sudo had a scare as the competition appeared close, but Mayoi Ebihara failed to keep her speed and ended up only with 33.5 hotdogs.
"The first couple minutes, I found myself watching her, which I never want to do. I never want to be distracted by the other competitors," Sudo told reporters.
"Watching her, I fumbled my hands. I got stuck with a big burp early on but was able to correct."
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