Ten years ago today, Takeru Kobayashi changed the way we look at competitive eating. By that, I mean he actually made us look at competitive eating. In 2000, Kazutoyo Arai ate a record 25 hot dogs. In 2001, Kobayashi, in his rookie performance doubled that number. Things would never be the same.
Kobayashi became a household name and went on to win 6 consecutive Nathan’s Mustard Yellow Belts. He would break the 50-dog mark three times, including a then-record 54 in 2006. A 5-foot 8-inch, 128 pound Japanese man was dominating the American pastime of eating hot dogs.
