Competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi cites health reasons as he retires

Competitive eater and six-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion, Takeru Kobayashi has announced his retirement. 

He made the announcement in the Netflix documentary, “Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut”. Takeru  said he’s ready to focus on his well-being and repair the damage he’s done to his body over the past two decades.

He said; 

“I want to live a healthy and long life, so I’ve decided to quit competitive eating contests.”

Kobayashi rose to fame after winning his first Fourth of July contest in 2001, and went on to earn the mustard belt five more times.

Joey Chestnut dethroned the Japanese standout in 2007, and the two would go on to have epic battles for years to come.