Kobayashi challenges a hamster to a hot dog eating contest

World class speed eater Kobayashi may have met his match in his latest rival, an adorable hamster.

Extra Mustard | Sep 17, 2014

Kobayashi challenges a hamster to a hot dog eating contest /

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World class speed eater Kobayashi may have met his match in his latest rival, an adorable hamster.

Kobayashi has the distinct advantage of opposable thumbs but in the end that is not enough to best the furry eating machine, who crushes 11 "hot dogs" made of grapes, dates and carrots.

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GALLERY: NATHAN'S HOT DOG-EATING CONTEST

2008 Hot Dog Eating Contest

Never before has the sports world seen such an event. In the 93-year history of the Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, never has there been a tie. That is, not until 2008. Following regulation, main munchers Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut took their intestinal dexterity to a five-dog eat-off.<br><br>Who took the crown?<br>Who reigns as the supreme frenzied face-stuffer?

Prior to the food-fest, Joey Chestnut stepped on the scale, weighing in at 210 pounds.

Tipping the scales at a mere 128 pounds, the fat-free Kobayashi didn't let an 80-plus-pound difference serve as a means of intimidation.

From the start, Kobayashi held a rapid, yet steady, pace throughout regulation, while his top challenger, Chestnut, seemed to struggle in the last few minutes.

But the two were mirror images in the waning seconds, battling all the way to the end.

In previous years, the row of hot-dog crazies had 12 minutes to prove their digestive prowess. But this year, after it was revealed that the first contest in 1916 was only 10 minutes long, the contest was rolled back to match. By the end of the allotted time, Chestnut and Kobayashi were still neck and neck at 59 dogs.

But, after a five-dog death march, Joey "Jaws" Chestnut came away victorious, leaving six-time champion Kobayashi with an empty feeling. (Well, not really.) The American champ downed his svelte Japanese foe after engulfing a nauseating 64 hot dogs.

After two years and 127 hot dogs, ex-champ Kobayashi is still title-less.

- Brendan Maloy

Published Sep 17, 2014

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