On a hot Fourth of July at Coney Island, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo once again walked away with the Nathan's Famous hot dog eating titles, reaffirming their grip on a distinctly American spectacle. Chestnut downed 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to claim his 18th men's title, while Sudo ate 38.75 to win the women's competition for the 12th time, ESPN reported.
Two dominant streaks
Chestnut, long the face of the sport, was well clear of the field; Patrick Bertoletti finished second among the men with 51. Chestnut's tally fell short of his own all-time record of 76, set in 2021, and he and other competitors contended with sweltering conditions on the boardwalk.
Sudo's win extended her own hold on the women's title, and she remains the holder of the women's record of 51. Between them, the two have won the great majority of Nathan's contests over the past decade and a half, turning the event into a showcase of two remarkable careers.
A break in the streak, then a return
Chestnut's run has not been entirely unbroken. In 2024 he did not compete at Nathan's after a dispute over a sponsorship deal with a plant-based food company that organizers viewed as a conflict with the hot dog brand, as NPR reported at the time. He returned the following year and has continued to win since.
A Fourth of July fixture
The Nathan's contest has been staged at Coney Island for generations and, broadcast live each Independence Day, has become an unlikely national tradition, sitting alongside parades and fireworks. Competitors soak the buns in water to swallow more quickly within the 10-minute limit, a technique now as familiar as the event itself. For all its excess, the contest endures as a piece of American summer ritual, and in 2026 its two biggest names were again at the center of it.
