NEW YORK (CNN) — Takeru Kobayashi won his fifth consecutive hot-dog eating title Monday by downing 49 frankfurters in 12 minutes, leaving 17 competitors in his wake. But the Japanese eating champion fell short of his personal best set last year — a record 53.5 hot dogs and buns.<br />
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American Sonya Thomas, 37, placed second. Her consumption of 37 frankfurters set an American record. Finishing third, with 32 hot dogs under his belt, was Joey Chestnut, 21, from San Jose, California.<br />
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Kobayashi credited his technique for Monday’s win. He breaks the hot dog in two, eats it, then soaks the buns in water before swallowing them.<br />
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Read the Full Story at <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/07/04/hotdog.contest/"><strong>CNN.com</strong></a>
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