Joey Chestnut wins 16th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest after 2-hour weather delay

Joey Chestnut is once again the champion of the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. And this year, he may also be the savior.

The contest was initially scheduled to kick off at noon, but due to severe weather at Coney Island, it was put into a lightning delay. Then news broke that the contest had been completely canceled. We as a nation almost had to face an Independence Day without the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.

But Joey Chestnut came to Coney Island on Tuesday to eat at least 60 hot dogs in 10 minutes. And he, just like George Washington crossing the Delaware River in 1776, would not be denied.

We don't know if Chestnut is personally responsible for the contest being rescheduled, but out of nowhere it was suddenly back on. At 2 p.m. ET the contestants were introduced, and while everyone got a unique intro, Chestnut's was by far the best.

The whistle sounded at 2:18 and the eating began. Ten minutes and 62 hot dogs later, Chestnut stood alone as the winner, having eaten 14 more than the second-place finisher. Sixty-two is far below his projected total, which was expected to be around 71-72 dogs and buns, but the two-hour delay affected everyone's ability to eat in top form. And no matter the number, a win is a win. It was Chestnut's eighth straight contest win and his 16th overall.

Miki Sudo, who has won the women's contest eight times, won for the ninth time Tuesday. She ate 39.5 hot dogs, and she needed every single second of that 10 minutes to nail down the win. She was neck-and-neck with her rival, Mayo Ebihara, the entire time, and that final half-dog pushed Sudo over the line.

Both Chestnut, 39, and Sudo, 37, said they intend to return and defend their titles in 2024.