Clayton County man places 8th in annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Gideon Oji participates in the Hot Dog Eating Contest with Nathan's & Major League Eating presented by Times Square Arts at Times Square on May 17, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Manoli Figetakis/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - A former basketball player from Morrow in Clayton County competed in the famous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4. He came in 8th place in Thursday's contest.
Gideon Oji, 32, played basketball at Clayton State University. Since then, he has made a name for himself in the world of competitive eating. Standing at an impressive 6-foot-9 inches tall, Oji has participated in numerous eating competitions, earning recognition and setting records along the way.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Gideon Oji is announced as the winner of the Hot Dog Eating Contest with Nathan's & Major League Eating presented by Times Square Arts at Times Square on May 17, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Manoli Figetakis/G
Oji is well-known for his performances in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, where he has been a consistent competitor since 2015. His best finish was in 2016 when he consumed 38 hot dogs, securing fourth place. In recent years, he has consistently placed in the top ten.
In addition to his hot dog eating feats, Oji holds several world records in competitive eating. These include consuming 25.5 16-ounce containers of kale in eight minutes, 10 pounds of baked beans in one minute and 45 seconds, 1.3125 gallons of green chile stew in six minutes, and two pounds of sliced bologna in 52 seconds.
Originally from Zaire, Nigeria, Oji is currently ranked 7th in the world by Major League Eating.
The annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is always held on July 4. The women's competition is shown on ESPN3 and the men's competition is shown on ESPN2. Read more about it here.
The annual contest began in 1972 at the original location of Nathan's Island on Coney Island, New York. Major League Eating has managed the event since 1997. During the event, participants must eat as many Nathan's Famous hot dogs in buns as the can within a 10-minute period. Each contestant gets their own scorekeeper.
Joey Chestnut from California is the top male champion of all time with 15 titles to his name. However, he did not compete this year.
Oji came in 8th in Thursday's contest, eating 33 hot dogs. Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago won his first men's title by eating 58 hot dogs.
Here is a complete list of men competing this year:
2024 men’s competitors
- Geoffrey Esper
- James Webb
- Nick Wehry
- Patrick Bertoletti
- Gideon Oji
- Darrien Thomas
- Derek Hendrickson
- Max Stanford
- George Chiger
- Takuya Yamamoto
Miki Sudo from Las Vegas is the top female champion of all time with 8 titles to her name. She won again on Thursday, eating 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes. She also set a world record for women.
2024 women’s competitors
- Miki Sudo (Women’s defending champion)
- Michelle Lesco
- Cherish Brown
- Larell Mele
- Katie Prettyman
- Julie Goldberg
- Tandra Childress
- Ellen Straub
- Mayoi Ebihara
Winners of the hot dog eating contest get a $20,000 cash prize.