Hot Dog! Abilene woman returns to Nathan's eating contest at Coney Island
Laura GutschkeUPDATE MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022
Sophia DeVita of Abilene ate 12.25 hot dogs in 10 minutes in the 2022 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, finishing sixth.
The top three finishers were Miki Sudo with 40 hot dog, Michelle Lesco with 26 and Sarah Rodriguez with 23.25.
ORIGINAL STORY
Sophia DeVita of Abilene is returning to the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Brooklyn, New York.
It will be her fifth appearance when the contest returns to the Nathan's flagship restaurant at Coney Island. Due to COVID-19 precautions, the event was at a nearby baseball stadium in 2021 and at a private location for media only in 2020.
At the 2021 event, DeVita scarfed down 15 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, finishing fifth, according to the official results at majorleagueeating.com. Michelle Lesco of Tucson, Arizona took first with 30.75 hot dogs and buns.
The woman's record is 48.5 hot dogs and buns, set by Miki Sudo of Tampa, Florida, who returns to the 2022 event after taking 2021 off because of a pregnancy.
Ranked No. 33 in the world, DeVita's personal best is 19, she told the Reporter-News before the 2021 contest. In 2019, she finished third.
In the men's division, winner Joey Chestnut of Indianapolis, Indiana ate enough stadium fare at the 2021 contest to feed a whole baseball team: 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
This year's contest drew 16 men and 13 women as contestants.
DeVita is from Westfield, New Jersey, and came to Abilene thanks to her husband's military assignment at Dyess Air Force Base.
Live broadcast coverage of the women's competition begins at 9:45 a.m. (CT) Monday on ESPN3. Coverage of the men's division will start at 11 a.m. on ESPNEWS.
The episodes will re-air at 3 p.m. central time on ESPN2, but all times are subject to change.
More:How to make the best grilled hot dog for Fourth of July
Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.