July Fourth hot dog eating contest women’s competition won by Miki Sudo with 39.5 hot dogs and buns

Miki Sudo put away 39.5 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win the women’s competition of the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest for the ninth time Tuesday. Sudo fell short of breaking her own record of 48.5 hot dogs and buns, which she set at the Independence Day event in 2020.

Sudo, 37, faced stiff competition from Mayoi Ebihara, 27, who devoured 33.5 hot dogs and buns to finish in second place. Michelle Lesco, 39, finished in third place after eating 24.25 hot dogs and buns.

Sudo and Ebihara seemed to have finished much closer at the end of the livestreamed competition. As judges were tallying the official results, they chatted with each other, shook hands and hugged before Sudo was declared the winner.

Fifteen women tried to scarf down as many hot dogs and buns as they could late Tuesday morning on an outdoor stage set up on New York’s Coney Island near the area’s amusement park and boardwalk.

Last year, Sudo polished off 40 hot dogs and buns to win the contest.

The men’s competition is scheduled to be held Tuesday afternoon.

The contest was delayed from starting at its scheduled time of 12:30 p.m. Eastern because of weather. The National Weather Service said strong thunderstorms were expected in the area and urged people to seek shelter inside a building.