Kobayashi suffers career ending injury

[Queasy]

Link

TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese man who set a world record by wolfing down dozens of hot dogs within minutes has suffered a severe jaw injury due to his rigorous training, making his next title uncertain.

Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi said he can only open his mouth to make a gap the size of a fingertip after being diagnosed with jaw arthritis.

In an entry on his blog entitled "Occupational hazard," Kobayashi said: "My jaw refused to fight any more."

The injury occurred only a week after the slender 29-year-old started training to win his seventh straight title at the annual July 4 Nathan's Famous hot dog eating event 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."

Kobayashi, who has become a niche celebrity in Japan and the United States, had already halted his competitive eating activities for several months due to mourning after his mother's death earlier this year.

But he said he still wanted to go to the competition in New York.

"I want to be the pride of my mother," he said in the blog entry posted Sunday.

Last year, Kobayashi put down a world-record 53 and three-quarters hot dogs in just 12 minutes.

In addition to the Nathan's Famous titles, he holds world records for scoffing cows' brains and rice balls.

In 2004, he founded the United Food Fighters Organisation in hopes of making people take competitive eating seriously as a sport.

Despite Japanese people's reputation as moderate eaters, Kobayashi helped to turn competitive eating into a television sensation with "food fighters" downing everything from sushi to cakes.

But Japanese television began to shy away from such contests after a 14-year-old junior high school student choked to death in 2002 trying to imitate competitive eating during school lunch.

 

[gwrober]

Wasn't that the guy with the killer abs?? Geez if I ate 50+ hot dogs in 12 minutes I think I'd be on the floor crying in my own vomit. 🙂 :thumbsup:

 

[dabuddha]

 

[DBL]

No showdown then. What a shame.
Hot Dog Eating Contest Record Broken

 

[RapidSnail]

I wonder what he does for rigorous training.

 

[anxi80]

Originally posted by: DBL
No showdown then. What a shame.
Hot Dog Eating Contest Record Broken

i was going to say he's probably trying to duck facing joe chestnut.

 

[ballmode]

Crazy

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Yeah he's got severe joey of the chestnut.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: RapidSnail
I wonder what he does for rigorous training.

lol 😀

 

[mitaiwan82]

oh noes!!1 I :heart: Kobayashi

 

[bigrash]

Originally posted by: RapidSnail
I wonder what he does for rigorous training.

watch his mtv special. the guy eats like crazy!

 

[Nutdotnet]

Where does it say anything about the injury being career-ending?

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet
Where does it say anything about the injury being career-ending?

suffered a severe jaw injury due to his rigorous training, making his next title uncertain.

...

Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi said he can only open his mouth to make a gap the size of a fingertip after being diagnosed with jaw arthritis.

...

Kobayashi said: "My jaw refused to fight any more."

...

I destroyed my jaw."

Just reading between the lines...

Would "Career Threatening" sound better?

 

[Miramonti]

It hasn't stopped paris hilton's 'career'...he should be fine with a little rest.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: RapidSnail
I wonder what he does for rigorous training.

King Kong Dong to stretch out his mouth so he can swallow all that meat.

 

[fustercluck]

Jaw arthritis huh...dang, that's sad. He'll write a book and make millions. Made for TV movie and all 😛

 

[wheresmybacon]

Originally posted by: bigrash
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: RapidSnail
I wonder what he does for rigorous training.</end quote></div>

watch his mtv special. the guy eats like crazy!

that was insane. when he eats something like 20 pounds of noodles or thereabouts @ that one restaurant. highly recommended viewing.

 

[Mucho]

🙁

 

[Jschmuck2]

🙁

 

[Parasitic]

Finally...the world can put a sock in competitive eating.
Such a disgusting "sport"

 

[dennilfloss]

It was Keyser Söze!😛

 

[theknight571]

Originally posted by: jjsole
It hasn't stopped paris hilton's 'career'...he should be fine with a little rest.

Maybe he can replace the Richie chic on Paris' TV shows.

( I forget the Richie's first name, and the name of the shows, and I don't think it's worth looking up. ) 😛

 

[lupi]

Originally posted by: anxi80
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: DBL
No showdown then. What a shame.
Hot Dog Eating Contest Record Broken</end quote></div>
i was going to say he's probably trying to duck facing joe chestnut.

QFT

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Finally...the world can put a sock in competitive eating.
Such a disgusting "sport"

I personally love it, I have dreams, although the best I've done was 12 grilled cheese with 2 slices of cheese on each in 3 minutes. I know I'll never be a legend in this sport, but I plan to try my best to win something in it before I die 😀

besides training to eat massive amounts is a hellova lot easier then training in a gym. I think I will train on some Hot Wings tonight!

 

[Krazy4Real]

🙁