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Kobayashi Nearly Barfs But Breaks Wing Bowl Record Anyway
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 3, 2012
Modified Feb 3, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 3, 2012
Modified Feb 3, 2012
Share
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Competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi inhaled a record-breaking 337 chicken wings to win the 20th "Wing Bowl" in Philadelphia this morning! It was Kobayashi's first time participating in the annual event, which takes place at the home of the Philadelphia Flyers and features a "Wingette of the Year" competition—over 125 scantily-clad ladies competed to be this year's Wingette and win a Harley Davidson motorcycle. (There are A LOT of photos of them here, if you're into that sort of thing.) The previous wing-eating record was 254, and while Kobayashi crushed that number, it wasn't a fait accompli.
"At one point early in the second round, Kobayashi gagged and nearly vomited," reports Philly.com. "Since Wing Bowl rules dictate that 'If you heave, you leave,' it would have been a stunning development. But Kobayashi was able to restrain himself, in fact appearing to re-swallow whatever came back up. After a few taps of his throat, he flashed a smile to the cameras before going right back to eating." What a brave hero!
"I could probably eat another 100 wings or so," Kobayashi, who won $20,000, said after the event. "Not really fast, I'd have to take my time. But if you brought me 100 more I could eat them." Here's video from the winner's circle:
Sorry, wrong video! Here's video of the man who is celebrated for eating celebrating his eating:
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Competitive Eating
takeru kobayashi
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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