Hot-dog-eating champ speaks frankly about jaw pain

NEW YORK — Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi, the hot-dog-eating king who recently lost his world record to an American upstart, may not fight to reclaim the title on July 4 because of acute jaw pain.

An epic matchup had been brewing between Kobayashi and the American, Joey Chestnut, who earlier this month beat Kobayashi's record by downing 59 ½ hot dogs in 12 minutes at a regional contest, almost six more than the 53 ¾ wieners Kobayashi downed at Coney Island in New York last year.

"My jaw refused to fight anymore," Kobayashi revealed on his blog Monday, describing how he cannot open his mouth any wider than a fingertip.

The slender Kobayashi, who won six consecutive Fourth of July contests, has defied competitive-eating stereotypes of morbidly obese men downing obscene quantities of food. The Japanese man is a strapping 160 pounds, and his training includes vigorous exercise to ensure no belly fat gets in the way of eating hot dogs.

"I was continuing my training and bearing with the pain but finally I destroyed my jaw," he wrote.

The International Federation of Competitive Eating, which sponsors the hot-dog contest, reported that Kobayashi still plans to compete on July 4, but that they will stand by his resignation if it is officially offered.

"Eater safety is our top priority, and we will respect whatever decision Kobayashi makes about participating in these events," said Richard Shea, the federation president.

While Chestnut has heard of such calamities striking competitive eaters, he says he's certain Kobayashi will appear and fight to win back his title.

"Basically the muscles in your jaw are being overwhelmed, and they can cause terrible headaches," he said Monday. "But Kobayashi is an incredible eater. Even if he has pain, he will eat right through it. There is no way he will miss the biggest contest of the year."