Explore More
The queen reigns supreme!
Miki Sudo secured her ninth victory at the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Tuesday morning which takes place in Coney Island every July 4th.
“This is my ninth belt, still undefeated, but I really want to make that tenth one special,” Sudo told The Post, already eyeing next year’s contest.
The 37-year-old phenom, ranked third in the world of competitive eating, munched down 39 and a half hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in a close race against rival Mayo Ebihara as the enormous crowd roared away at the iconic Nathan’s flagship restaurant.
Ebihara, a Japanese social media influencer, devoured 33 hot dogs.
The Tokyo-based YouTuber appeared to give Sudo her biggest challenge yet, staying on the heels of the champ throughout most of the 10-minute match.
At the halfway point, Ebihara had eaten 24 hot dogs to Sudo’s 26, with the score tying up at 33 just before the match concluded.
The judges were left flabbergasted as to the apparent tie, but a replay of the match revealed that Sudo had always been ahead, securing her victory by six hot dogs.
“It was too close to call. The judges were having trouble keeping up” MC George Shea told an anxious crowd awaiting the results. “At the end of the day, one of these eaters had 39.5 and the other had 33.5”
Sudo, a New York City native, first competed in the Fourth of July tradition in 2014 and has never lost a challenge since.
Although she had to give up her title in 2021 when she was pregnant, Sudo returned last year to reclaim her throne and has cemented her position as the world’s top-ranked female competitive eater with her latest win.
The victory also saw Sudo go toe-to-toe with the 2021 champ, Michelle Lesco of Arizona, who was narrowly unable to reclaim the title from Sudo.
Despite the impressive showing, the 39 franks were a far cry from the 50 Sudo hoped to take down today, as the heat and humidity appeared to take its toll on all of the contestants.
The champ and contenders were all seen drizzling in sweat, taking some time off from devouring the hotdogs to wipe away the sweat and rehydrate.
“It was hot for me, I was pouring sweat. I live in Florida, I should be used to this,” she joked.
The champ was also ecstatic that she’s found a new rival in Ebihara, hoping that the Tokyo star will return next year for another close match.
“She’s a great representation of what women can do. I just love that she’s not afraid to get in there, get messy and look silly,” Sudo said. “We welcome her with open arms and hope she comes back next year.”
Sudo’s personal best at the annual competition stands at 48 hot dogs, and while she may have not broken any records, the crowd welcomed the victory with thunderous applause.
Among those cheering on the champ was her husband and fellow competitive eater Nick Wehry, and their 2-year-old boy, Max.
With his wife securing her victory, Wehry is now preparing to take on champion Joey Chestnut during the men’s round, which is set to start at noon.
ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7j3BmaWxforastYysrJ2nXaiypMHRnqpmcaSdere1wq2mq7FdlsFuwMeeZKeZpJ2ur7%2BMoaatZZSktG6xwK2gp59dmLyvwMSsq2g%3D