Remember Takeru Kobayashi, the tiny little Japanese man who ate 97 hamburgers in 8 minutes last fall? Almost miraculously, the guy has evaded any gastronomical problems to date—but last week, Kobayashi claimed he was suffering from arthritis in his jaw, a result of misaligned wisdom teeth + his hard core eating skillz.
Kobayashi's attendance will make or break the championship at the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating contest, which takes place in New York next week. He won the last six years by a landslide. He is currently on standby at a New York City hotel, waiting for his jaw to get better. Right now, he can only open his mouth about 2-3cm.
We'll see whether he makes an appearance next week, July 4, to get his seventh title—or if a 3cm-wide mouth just isn't enough to beat his competition.
For more on Japan's "food fighting" industry, read this article.
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