CONEY ISLAND, N.Y., July 4 (UPI) -- Takeru Kobayashi of Japan won Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, N.Y., Sunday.
For the fourth year, Kobayashi was named the world's top hot dog eater for eating 53-and-a-half hot dogs in 12 minutes.
The contest, sponsored by Nathan's Famous, Orbitz.com and OM Light Beer, attracted champion eaters including: Simon Hopewell, of New Zealand; Godfrey Bertelsen, of England; top-ranked American eater Sonya Thomas, of Virginia; No. 2-ranked eater "Cookie" Jarvis of New York and Eric "Badlands" Booker of New York
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg headed the the official weigh-in and certification ceremony for competitive eaters from around the world gathered for the historic contest that dates back to 1916.
