Japanese hot dog champion out of jail
Source: Agencies |
July 6, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Japanese eating champion Takeru Kobayashi was freed yesterday after a night in a New York jail over a hot dog scuffle.
Kobayashi wore a black T-shirt bearing the message "Free Kobi" as he pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn yesterday to charges of obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct.
He had jumped onstage after Sunday's annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island that he sat out because of a contract dispute.
Kobayashi said yesterday that he'd gone there as a spectator, but fans began chanting for him. He says he went onstage "in the heat of it," hoping officials would let him participate.
Joey "Jaws" Chestnut won the contest. He downed 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Chestnut gobbled his way to a fourth straight win. But he was suddenly upstaged by the surprise appearance of his biggest rival, Kobayashi, who crashed the eating platform after Chestnut's win and wrestled with police.
"Let him eat! Let him eat!", the crowd chanted as officers handcuffed the world's No. 3 professional eater, dubbed "The Tsunami."
The 32-year-old Kobayashi did not compete this year because he refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating. On his Japanese-language blog, he said he wanted to be free to enter contests sanctioned by other groups.
But a few days ago, he told Japan's Kyodo News: "I really want to compete in the (Coney Island) event."
Wearing a black T-shirt that said "Free Kobi," Kobayashi mingled with the crowd, standing inside a police-barricaded pen just under the stage. When the eating ended, he slipped up the stage stairs.
Then, several security officers appeared and tried to usher him off. He grabbed a metal police barricade with both hands, clutching it tightly as the officers pulled at him. Finally, they dragged him down the stairs, with Kobayashi resisting vehemently.
Kobayashi's publicist, Maggie James, said he had hoped the Coney Island crowd would recognize him and he could offer them an eating demonstration "for free.''
The runner-up was Tim "Eater X" Janus, with 45.
Kobayashi wore a black T-shirt bearing the message "Free Kobi" as he pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn yesterday to charges of obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct.
He had jumped onstage after Sunday's annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island that he sat out because of a contract dispute.
Kobayashi said yesterday that he'd gone there as a spectator, but fans began chanting for him. He says he went onstage "in the heat of it," hoping officials would let him participate.
Joey "Jaws" Chestnut won the contest. He downed 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Chestnut gobbled his way to a fourth straight win. But he was suddenly upstaged by the surprise appearance of his biggest rival, Kobayashi, who crashed the eating platform after Chestnut's win and wrestled with police.
"Let him eat! Let him eat!", the crowd chanted as officers handcuffed the world's No. 3 professional eater, dubbed "The Tsunami."
The 32-year-old Kobayashi did not compete this year because he refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating. On his Japanese-language blog, he said he wanted to be free to enter contests sanctioned by other groups.
But a few days ago, he told Japan's Kyodo News: "I really want to compete in the (Coney Island) event."
Wearing a black T-shirt that said "Free Kobi," Kobayashi mingled with the crowd, standing inside a police-barricaded pen just under the stage. When the eating ended, he slipped up the stage stairs.
Then, several security officers appeared and tried to usher him off. He grabbed a metal police barricade with both hands, clutching it tightly as the officers pulled at him. Finally, they dragged him down the stairs, with Kobayashi resisting vehemently.
Kobayashi's publicist, Maggie James, said he had hoped the Coney Island crowd would recognize him and he could offer them an eating demonstration "for free.''
The runner-up was Tim "Eater X" Janus, with 45.
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