In what’s become essentially a holiday tradition, the Fourth of July once again belongs to Joey Chestnut. The 39-year-old competitive eater won his 16th Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest at New York’s Coney Island on Tuesday, consuming 62 hot dogs and buns, 13 clear of the next-closest competitor.
The victory was Chestnut’s eighth straight at the event and 16th in the past 17 years, cementing the most dominant run in competitive eating’s signature event. Naturally, Chestnut’s pork-indulging prowess drew plenty of praise, including a hat tip from the NBA’s next big superstar: Spurs big man and recent No. 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama.
The 19-year-old Wembanyama took to social media to salute Chestnut on his latest achievement, calling the eating master the “most dominant athlete of all time” on his Instagram story.
Wemby showing the legend some appreciation 🌭🤣
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 4, 2023
(via wemby/IG) pic.twitter.com/fztUYcq4lT
Like Chestnut, Wembanyama has the potential to revolutionize his sport, with his unmatched combination of size, speed, athleticism and skills. Whether or not the Frenchman will be able to ascend to the same heights as Chestnut remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the phenom has plenty of reverence for what Chestnut has been able to accomplish in his field.
