Japanese competitive eater (born 1978)
Takeru Kobayashi
Takeru Kobayashi at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2009
Born (1978-03-15 ) March 15, 1978 (age 46) Other names "The Tsunami", "Kobi", "The Prince" (in Japan)[ 1] Alma mater Yokkaichi University Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Spouse Maggie James[ 2]
Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi (小林 尊 , Kobayashi Takeru , born March 15, 1978) is a Japanese competitive eater . Described as "the godfather of competitive eating",[ 3] [ 4] he is a six-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion and widely credited with popularizing the sport.[ 5] [ 6] [ 7]
^ "Dogging It—Our columnist bites into a big problem: Why can the Japanese down more dogs than any American?" . gershkuntzman.homestead.com . 9 July 2001. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016 .
^ Henderson, Cydney (May 23, 2024), "Competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi feels body is 'broken,' retires due to health issues" , USA Today , archived from the original on July 16, 2024, retrieved May 24, 2024
^ 'The Rise and Fall of Kobayashi, Godfather of Competitive Eating: 'They Were Making a Joke of Me Archived 2024-07-16 at the Wayback Machine . The Daily Beast. July 2, 2019.
^ 'THESE ARE THE WORLD'S TOP 7 MOST IMPRESSIVE COMPETITIVE EATERS' Archived 2019-07-03 at the Wayback Machine . Twisted Food . February 1, 2019.
^ 'Takeru Kobayashi Vs. Joey Chestnut: The Big Fat Hot Dog Fight' Archived 2019-07-03 at the Wayback Machine . International Business Times. July 4, 2012.
^ 'The More He Devours, the More Fans Eat It Up' Archived 2019-07-03 at the Wayback Machine . The New York Times. July 1, 2007.
^ 'New ESPN Documentary Focuses on the Drama of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest' Archived 2024-07-16 at the Wayback Machine . Eater . July 2, 2019.