Raw. followed Miki Sudo, world’s No. 1 hot dog competition eater

“I hadn’t really planned to make it my career. My first contest dates back to 2011. I ate 5.6 kilos of pho in a restaurant that offered a reward of $1,500 to those who succeeded. My friends had been there and tried it out for fun. When I saw their photos, I seriously thought, “I think I could do it.” So the next day, with no training or preparation, I went there and became the first person, and the only one to date, to win the award.”. Since then, Miki Sudo has been the national No. 1 among women in hot dog gobbling.

“It’s very rhythmic, very mechanical. I leave nothing to chance”

This year, she is putting her title on the line at Coney Island in the competition at Nathan’s Famous restaurant. She has her own technique for swallowing the different hot dogs: “It’s very rhythmic, very mechanical. I leave nothing to chance. And at the same time, I take a bun and I dip it, I immerse it entirely in my usual drink, strawberry-orange-banana. I found this technique to not have to chew anything, because the more you chew, the more you activate your salivary glands, the more you feel the taste, the faster you will get tired of the taste. Once you start to get tired of the taste, you can’t eat as fast or as much as you would like.”. Her husband, Nick Wehry, is also a competitive eater. In 2022, Niki Sudo wins the Nathan’s women’s competition for the 8th time, by devouring 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes.