Nathan's Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest 2023 Nearly Canceled, Suffers Major Weather Delay

By Michael Hein

The annual hot dog eating contest on Coney Island was nearly canceled midway this year due to thunderstorms, but the women's division had time to declare a winner before the delay. Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is held on the Fourth of July every year, but this year the NYPD delayed the event in the early afternoon because of the threat of lightning. Defending champion Miki Sudo won the women's division. The men's division event was later allowed to take place after the worst of the elements had passed. 

Sudo wowed the crowd by taking down 39 and a half hot dogs to claim the women's title, according to a report by ABC 7 NY. The contest even had a bit of drama when Sudo's total was miscounted at 37 hot dogs. Judges had to review the footage, finding that Sudo had eaten so fast that some of the hot dogs had not been counted. At around 12 p.m., the lighting became a serious threat to the gathering and the NYPD decided to shut things down shortly before the men's division could compete.

In an Independence Day miracle, the men's portion of the hot dog-eating contestant was later able to resume, as TMZ reported. Once again, Joey Chestnut walked away with the win. He ate 62 hot dogs in ten minutes. This marked his 16th win at the annual event. 

Sudo is 37 years old and comes from Port Richey, Florida. This is her ninth Nathan's title, making her the most successful female competitor on the contest's history. She also has the world record for eating six hot dogs in one minute. She joked that 39 is not even a high number for her, though the runner-up, Mayoi Ebihara, ate 33 and a half hot dogs, while the third-place winner Michelle Lesco ate just 24.

Shutting down this competition is no small task – about 35,000 fans were expected on Coney Island on Tuesday, in spite of the inclement weather. The contest was also broadcast on ESPN, where the delays were reported early to much disappointment. Many commenters joked that a little rain shouldn't slow down this tradition.

Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest has been officially held and recorded every Independence Day since 1972 at the original Nathan's location on Coney Island. However, there are urban legends that the contest has been going on in some capacity since 1916 – or perhaps earlier. The competition was moved to a private location in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so this is not the first time it has been a victim of circumstance. 

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