Hot dog! Reigning champ gets engaged, chows down on 61 franks
Posted: Jul 4, 2014 4:44 PM CDT | Updated: Nov 5, 2014 2:58 PM CDT

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Joey \"Jaws\" Chestnut, reigning king of the world's most famous hot dog eating contest, may have had an extra boost of confidence Friday. With a hug and kiss, his girlfriend of three years accepted his marriage proposal.
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On a rainy Independence Day at Brooklyn's Coney Island, the San Jose, California, resident once again clinched the title at Nathan's hot dog eating contest before hundreds of umbrella-toting spectators at the annual celebration of gluttony.
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\"It was just a dog fight the entire time,\" he told ESPN, which broadcast the popular event.
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Chestnut sloppily devoured 61 hot dogs in 10 minutes -- edging his biggest competitor, Matthew Stonie, who placed second after swallowing 56 dogs.
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Chestnut's win at Nathan's 98th annual International Hot Dog Eating Contest secured his title for the eighth consecutive year, but he was still a handful of wieners away from his world record 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes that he set last year.
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\"The hot dogs were slow today, the weather slowed everything down,\" Chestnut told ESPN. \"I could never find my rhythm.\"
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As reigning champ, Chestnut was paraded into the contest on the shoulders of fans on a chariot-like hot dog cart.
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In the women's competition, Miki Sudo won by inhaling 34 dogs to eclipse the former champ, Sonya \"The Black Widow\" Thomas.
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The hot dog eating contest was divided into men's and women's competitions in 2011.
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Contestants compete for prize money and Nathan's Mustard Belt.Â