Legendary competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi has announced his professional retirement from the bizarre sport due to health concerns. Known for winning six consecutive Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contests — a famous competition held annually on July 4 in New York — Kobayashi and American arch rival Joey Chestnut became household names for their superhuman hunger. Referred to affectionately as “Kobi”, the eating machine dominated the world-renowned contest from 2001-2006.
The 46-year-old Japanese competitor reluctantly revealed on Netflix’s Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut, his body couldn’t continue with the practice due to the risk of ongoing internal damage. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. “I’ve decided to retire from competitive eating.
It’s all I’ve done for the last 20 years,” he said. The documentary explores how food intake, the digestive system and gut health impact overall well-being. In a sad development, the iconic athlete — who became synonymous with the sport — admitted decades of forcing his body to devour excessive quantities of food had left him with no satiation feeling.
His wife Maggie James said his body is “broken” and he could go days without eating due to having no appetite. Doctors determined Kobayashi’s chronic overeating had tricked his brain into thinking he was constantly in training for competition, with the competitor often spending months expanding his st.
