Finally, on America’s birthday, Japan’s long hold on our greatest sporting event was broken.

Every 4^th of July for the past 92 years, competitors from around the world have come to the corner of Surf and Stillwell in Coney Island, to participate in Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.  In 2001, Takeru Kobayashi arrived from Japan with an appetite for domination.  That year, he downed 50 dogs, nearly doubling the record for feasting on franks.  He’s gone on to win the event for the past 6 years.  This guy’s a one man digestive dynasty.  He won the Glutton Bowl in 2002; he destroyed the competition at the 2005 Alka-Seltzer US Open; he’s eaten 58 bratwursts in 10 minutes, 17.7 pounds of cow brains in 15 minutes, 20 pounds of rice balls in 10 minutes, 97 mini-burgers in 8 minutes, and 41 lobster rolls in 10 minutes.  He holds every record for chewing, swallowing, ingesting, or downing.  He is ranked #1 in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.  Go ahead, look it up.

On Independence Day, in front of 30,000 spectators and a ESPN audience of 1.5 million households, “Takeru the Tsunami” stepped up to the table, to deliver perhaps his greatest-ever performance.  Beside him, largely ignored, stood little Joey Chestnut – yes, that’s his real name, you couldn’t make that up – a rising star in the world of gluttony and the second place finisher from 2006.

The buzzer sounded and the gladiators of gurgitation began.  Tearing, licking, chewing, swallowing, burping.  Dogs wolfed, buns scarfed.  Platters emptied, platters refilled.  Kobayashi and Chestnut, dog for dog, bun for bun.  When the final buzzer sounded, the results were so close that the judges had to make a careful recount.  When the beef and bread had cleared, the shocking results were announced:  For Kobayashi, 63 dogs, destroying his personal record by 10.  But for Chestnut, the plucky Californian, a bewildering 66 hot dogs consumed.  A new event record and the end of 6 years of Asian domination.

The mustard yellow winner’s belt will soon be removed from the Imperial Palace at Saitama Japan and brought to the United States.  For his efforts, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut received $10,000 and the thanks of a grateful nation.  And perhaps the  #1 tour ranking, as determined by the IFCE.