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4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest


Smizzy

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  • 2 weeks later...

Kobayashi...due to this little known fact.

As a child he had a developmental problem where his stomach is set lower in his body than it normally be. The reason why we feel full when our stomachs could expand is because it expands and presses against our rib cage. Due to this developmental problem, his stomach is set lower and below his ribcage. Therefore his stomach can expand more than 99% of the world.

Go with the guy who has owned this sport for the past 5 years.

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There should be no refunds, you guys bet way too early and now you should suffer the consequences.

Who knew a competitive eater would get hurt? :lol: It doesn't matter anyway, I bet some money on the other dude to offset the damages.

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..but lay some off on Chesnut.

Life as an underdog: Champion eater plans to compete here despite jaw ailment

Friday, June 29, 2007 at 6:15pm

By Brooks Rexroat

Staff Writer

Intensive therapy and an outpouring of fan support have convinced champion eater Takeru Kobayashi to stomach his pain and try for a seventh consecutive Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest July 4 in New York City.

Once he gets through the event, he'll set his sights on rehabilitating for the Krystal Square Off competition, set for late October or early November in Chattanooga.

Speaking through a translator in an exclusive interview with the Times Free Press, Mr. Kobayashi said this afternoon from his New York hotel that wisdom teeth that grew improperly, coupled with years of intensive training for competitive eating, have caused jaw arthritis.

The 27-year-old said he could open his mouth the width of two fingers and faced pain when both opening and closing it, but he was intent on gobbling down a couple dozen hot dogs next week at the Nathan's event.

"Right now, it's not so good, but I've been talking to professionals and taking their advice," Mr. Kobayashi said. "They've been giving me exercises for relaxing the muscles and giving me some things I can do to relax and heal my jaw."

The world's top-ranked eater, Mr. Kobayashi last competed on American soil last fall in Chattanooga, when he smashed his own world hamburger eating record by inhaling 97 Krystal burgers in eight minutes. His hot dog record slipped away five weeks ago when American Joey Chestnut ate 59 1/2, topping Mr. Kobayashi's mark of 53 3/4.

The injury adds fuel to an already heated rivalry between the two, said George Shea, chairman of the International Federation of Competitive eating.

Mr. Chestnut was expected to push Mr. Kobayashi to his limits before the injury, Mr. Shea said.

"Their rivalry has played out at Nathan's and Krystal over the past few years," he said. "If (Mr. Kobayashi) does fall, all eyes turn to Chattanooga for the rematch."

The two events, he said, are marquee contests of competitive eating.

Mr. Shea said there are two main camps of eating fans.

"The first group has enormous love for Kobayashi and hopes he can do it," he said of the Nathan's contest. "The second camp, if Joey were to win, would love to see an American reclaim the title on the Fourth of July."

The injury has sparked some junk food trash talk, with some competitors alleging the injury is a competitive ploy.

"That's not even funny," Mr. Kobayashi said. "I don't even have time to think about that."

Mr. Kobayashi said he is focused on getting ready for the Nathan's contest, after which he'll evaluate his health and competitive schedule with a focus on recovering in time for the Krystal contest.

"I'm going to try my best to recoup for this contest, then I'm going to rest up and rehabilitate and for sure I'm going to be at Krystal," he said.

Mr. Kobayashi said the Krystal competition is among his favorites because it plays into the sprint mindset of his top competitor, Mr. Chestnut.

"Krystal is such a short contest, and the time and the speed is very important and Joey's a fast eater, so I get pumped up for that contest, and that's why it's so dear to me," he said.

For now, he's focusing on his jaw more than strategy.

"A muscle is tight around the jaw because of the injury, and I have some medicines and creams to do various experiments to try to loosen up the muscle, so that's the thing I'm trying to do right now," Mr. Kobayashi said. He wears a mouthpiece when he's not eating to realign the jaw, he said.

Doctors told him he is facing a long recovery process, but he's putting his energy into this week's contest, he said.

"I'm very worried about if I can fix my problem before the contest," he said. "Since this got out, a lot of people have rallied around me and given me advice, and I really feel the energy of other people. I want to try my best not to give up."

He used the Japanese word "ganbarimasu," which his translator described as a rallying cry.

The 160-pounder from Nagano, Japan, also holds world eating titles for bratwurst, cow brains, lobster rolls and rice balls.

E-mail Brooks Rexroat at brexroat@timesfreepress.com

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Serious question, if he is going to eat hurt, can ya change the odds a bit?

Nope... no way to know if he is full of **** or not... he might just be planning a built in excuse becuase he is scared of losing...

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Some of you guys are pathetic betting on both guys.

I'm just laying off my imaginary cash with and imaginary bookie. Other than that, it's realistic redistribution of risk assessment based on new information.

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It should be like a horse race, if the guy gets scratched it's a wash. if he eats hurt, tough ****. :lol:

No way. You call your bookie on Sunday morning and say hey I didn't know Thomas Jones was hurt when I made that bet on Friday and let me know how that works out for you!

:Nuts:

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