It wasn’t a record-breaking performance, but Miki Sudo is walking away with yet another hot-dog eating title. Sudo won her 11th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Friday, taking down 33 hot dogs and buns to pick up yet another win.
The victory marks the 11th time in the last 12 years that Sudo has won the women’s portion of the event. The only year she failed to win, 2021, was the year she did not participate due to her pregnancy.
Sudo defeated Michelle Lesco — who won the event in 2021 — by more than 10 hot dogs. Lesco finished as the runner-up Friday after eating 22 3/4 hot dogs and buns.
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Any dreams of Sudo smashing her previous record of 51 hot dogs was dashed almost immediately. Sudo seemed to struggle from the start, which was confirmed by her husband, competitive eater Nick Wehry, during the competition. Wehry was interviewed while Sudo was participating in the event, and noted she went to her shoulder early, a sign she was already struggling. While Sudo won the event by a fair amount, it wasn’t an easy victory.
After the contest, Sudo said she felt the buns were more filling this year, which led to the lower total.
Sudo’s 33 hot dogs are the second-lowest total she’s consumed since entering the event. Her lowest-ever total at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition is 31, which she managed in 2019. Sudo still won the event that year despite the low — for her — total.
This story will be updated.
