In this year’s contest, Chestnut surpassed his previous record of 59 hot dogs, by 9 hot dogs, leading him to not only set the world record for most hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes, but also to win the 2009 international hot dog eating competition.
The hot dog eating event began around noon when a large crowd had already gathered for pre-event festivities. Thousands of people stood in the crowd as the contestants were introduced. The 21 contestants took the stage, including Joey Chestnut, former champ Takeru Kobayashi, and Tim “Eater X” Janus.
At 12:30 the hot dog eating began. The contestants ate with great ferocity. The crowd cheered for the contestants, but most of the cheering was focused on Kobayashi and Chestnut, as they were head to head. After an intense 10 minutes, Joey Chestnut won the competition with a 4 hot dog lead.
Joey Chestnut had won his 3rd International Hot Dog Eating Competition in a row, while Kobayashi, despite being runner up, smiled as he had beaten his personal best. Female contestant Sonya Thomas ate 41 hot dogs, setting the women’s world record for most hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes.
