Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2012: Why Sonya Thomas Will Three-Peat in 2013

Sonya Thomas is now a two-time Women’s Hot Dog Eating World Champion, and no one will stop her from a three-peat in 2013.

Thomas won the first women’s edition of the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2011 by chowing down on 40 hot dogs in the 10 minutes allotted to contestants. She blew away the rest of the field, as Juliet Lee, the second place contestant, only managed to put away 29.5 dogs, as noted on NathansFamous.com.

But this was one off of her personal best, according to EatFeats.com, and Thomas returned to Coney Island with history in her sights. 

In her second appearance at the world’s most famous eating competition, the Black Widow took down 45 hot dogs, setting a new women’s record. She again was far ahead of all the other participants as Lee came in second, but this time by munching away on 33 dogs. 

This was just the latest accomplishment in a long line of records for the most dominant female competitive eater on the planet. 

The 44-year-old stands just 5’5” and weighs only 100 pounds, but she is a heavyweight in both female and co-ed competitions on the competitive eating circuit.

In 2012, she won the Acme World Oyster-Eating Championship by slurping up 47 dozen oysters in eight minutes and took first in the Rouses World Crawfish Eating Championship by taking down 3.25 pounds of New Orleans’ favorite sea creature. 

She also set the contest record at the US Chicken Wing Eating Championship in 2011 by sinking her teeth into 183 wings in 12 minutes. She is a five-time defending champion of that particular event, and in 2010, she even ate more wings than Joey Chestnut, who has won Nathan’s six times. 

Thomas is the fourth highest ranked eater in the world, among both men and women. There is no other woman who can come close to her eating skills.

She will continue to dominate both women’s and co-ed competitions until next summer arrives, when she will once again win the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.