Arizona woman to compete in Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest
Michelle Lesco raises her 2021 champion belt during the 2022 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest on Coney Island on July 4, 2022, in New York. (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - An Arizona woman will try to regain her title on Thursday at the 2024 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Michelle Lesco, who is a math teacher at a Tucson middle school, won the women's competition in 2021, eating over 30 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. She finished third in 2023.
Last year's winner, Miki Sudo, holds the women’s record of 48.5 hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes.
No Joey Chestnut?
Defending champion Joey Chestnut cheers after finishing in first place in the 2023 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2023, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
The men's side of the competition will look a little different this year.
Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, the reigning champion of the contest, will not participate after signing a deal with Impossible Foods, a rival of Nathan's Hot Dogs.
Instead, Chestnut will take his hot dog-downing talents to an army base in Texas where he will compete against soldiers in a five-minute hot dog eating contest.
In 2021, Chestnut set the current record when he ate 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
With Chestnut out, those vying for second place in Brooklyn in the past might have renewed hope to chomp their way to victory this year.
Last year's second-place winner was Geoffrey Esper from Oxford, Massachusetts, who downed 49 dogs to Chestnut's 62. Third place went to Australia's James Webb with 47.
The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.