A few months ago I blogged about meeting Takeru Kobayashi. The man is an eating machine and has rapidly become a pop culture icon for his ability to win just about every eating contest known to man. Last year he was in Wisconsin to participate in a bratwurst eating contest and he didn’t disappoint. The native of Japan flew to the Dairy State and devoured 58 bratwurst in 10 minutes. It was quite possibly the most stomach churning sight I have ever witnessed in my life (but exhilarating at the same time).
That day Kobayashi set the world record for bratwurst eating, but that’s nothing new for the 29-year-old with the bottomless stomach. He is better known as the hot dog eating champ of New York’s Coney Island. He’s the six-time winner of the annual event that takes place each July 4th and currently holds the world record for downing almost 54 hot dogs in 12 minutes.
Sadly, today the competitive eater announced that he has been diagnosed with arthritis of the jaw. A post on Kobayashi’s website reads: “My jaw refused to fight anymore … [it] has abandoned the frontline.” He goes on to say, “Already I can’t open my jaws more than just a little bit. There’s no pain only if I open my mouth about enough for one finger. More than that is painful and I can’t open it.”
Needless to say his current situation couldn’t have come at a worse time. He is just days away from claiming his seventh straight Yellow Mustard Belt at the annual Independence Day contest sponsored by Nathan’s Famous hot dogs. But don’t count Kobayashi out just yet. He says he is seeking medical treatment and is “desperate about healing completely before the July 4 contest.”
His blog also includes some harsh comments aimed at himself:
“I feel so ashamed that I didn’t hear the alarm bells ringing in my own body,” it says. “But with the aim of winning the title and setting a new record in my head, I couldn’t stop my training regime so close to the competition.”
He says his diet of large quantities of cabbage and water to stretch his stomach rendered his mouth all but paralyzed. (Forget about the jaw… can you image what his training is doing to his stomach?)
Frankly (no pun intended), I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kobayashi at the competitors’ table next week. According to news reports, a 23-year-old man from Arizona just beat Kobayashi’s world record in a Coney Island qualifying event by eating 59.5 hot dogs in 12 minutes. So now not only is Kobayashi’s record at stake, his pride is as well.
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