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Chesnut captures World Tamale Eating championship
From staff reports
Joey "Jaws" Chesnut, the top-ranked competitive eater in the world according to Major League Eating, ate 102 tamales in 12 minutes to set a world record and win the 8th annual World Tamale Eating Championship today in Lewisville, Texas.
Tim "Eater X" Janus, a four-time winner of the tamale championship and holder of the previous world record, placed second with a total of 87 tamales - 16 more than the former record, but still 15 behind Chesnut.
"The tamale discipline is among the most difficult in the competitive eating world, requiring significant jaw strength and stomach capacity," said George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating. "Watching the event is enough to quicken the pulse and lift the heart of any American who has both."
Chesnut, who lives in San Jose, Calif., has won five straight Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Championship titles and holds more than 20 MLE world records. He briefly held the world record in tamales after eating 53½ during a May 2007 event in Houston, but lost that record to Janus later the same year. This was his first time to compete in Lewisville. His visit was rewarded with a $1,500 first-place prize.
Janus, a New York City resident who attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, is currently ranked third in the world by MLE. He has won all four of his previous appearances in Lewisville. He received $1,000 for placing second in today's contest.
Seventh-ranked Adrian Morgan of Baton Rouge placed third for the third consecutive year, eating 68 tamales for a personal-best total that earned a $500 prize.
Other top finishers were Juan Rodriguez of Las Vegas; Nate Biller of Wichita Falls; and Yasir Salem, a Texas native now living in New York City. Making a surprise top-10 finish was first-time competitor Cole Ellis, a Lewisville firefighter/paramedic who won a city employee contest earlier in the week to earn a spot at the table on Saturday.
Overall, the 12 competitors combined to eat 555 tamales during the 12-minute contest (an average of 46.5 per person), turning in four of the 12 best individual results in the history of the event.
MLE is the governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducting more than 70 events annually including the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y. The competitive eating community, which numbers more than 3,000 veteran and rookie athletes, travels the nation in search of top titles and the glory that they provide.
2012 Final Results
102 Joey Chesnut, San Jose, Calif.
87 Tim Janus, New York City
68 Adrian Morgan, Baton Rouge, La.
60.5 Juan Rodriguez, Las Vegas
50.5 Nate Biller, Wichita Falls
42 Yasir Salem, New York City
34 Brent Ricord, Keller
27 Gary Klucken, Waco
24 Cole Ellis, Lewisville
22 Timothy Morris, Lewisville
21 Alex Perez, Grand Prairie
17 Steve Harrell, Carrollton
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