Former hot dog eating world record holder Takeru 'Tsunami' Kobayashi has developed jaw arthritis due to his rigorous hot dog eating training.
The injury occurred only a week after the slender 29-year-old started training to win his sixth straight title at the annual July 4 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating contest on New York's Coney Island. "I feel ashamed that I couldn't notice the alarm bells set off by my own body," he said. "But with the goal to win another title with a new record, I couldn't stop my training so close to the competition. "I was continuing my training and bearing with the pain but finally I destroyed my jaw."
Despite his injury, Kobayashi still plans to attend the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating contest in New York to "be the pride of his mother" who passed away earlier this year.
Previously: Hot Dog Eating Record Broken by California Man
