beezle
06-27-2007, 09:31 AM
June 26, 2007 12:00am
A JAPANESE man who set a world record by wolfing down dozens of hot-dogs in minutes has suffered a severe jaw injury due to his training.
Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi says he can only open his mouth to make a gap the size of a fingertip after being diagnosed with jaw arthritis.
His injury has wiped out plans to defend his next title.
"My jaw refused to fight any more," Mr Kobayashi said.
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."
Mr Kobayashi last year put down a world-record 53 and three-quarters hot-dogs in just 12 minutes.
He has become a celebrity in Japan and the US and also holds a world record for scoffing cows' brains.
AFP
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21966725-663,00.html
A JAPANESE man who set a world record by wolfing down dozens of hot-dogs in minutes has suffered a severe jaw injury due to his training.
Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi says he can only open his mouth to make a gap the size of a fingertip after being diagnosed with jaw arthritis.
His injury has wiped out plans to defend his next title.
"My jaw refused to fight any more," Mr Kobayashi said.
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."
Mr Kobayashi last year put down a world-record 53 and three-quarters hot-dogs in just 12 minutes.
He has become a celebrity in Japan and the US and also holds a world record for scoffing cows' brains.
AFP
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21966725-663,00.html