FEMALE EATERS SWEEP BUFFALO WING-EATING BATTLE!

Call it ladies' nite in Buffalo.

For the first time in the history of the sport, women have swept a major in the competitive eating circuit, winning first, second and third places on Sunday at the annual Labor Day Weekend wing-eating championship at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, NY.

Miki Sudo won the event with 178 wings in 12 minutes, leading a sweep of field by the three female eaters competing. Newcomer Michelle Lesco placed second with 158 wings and former champion Sonya Thomas placed third with 141.

Sudo beat world champion Joey Chestnut on Saturday, August 31 in the Buffet Bowl, a first-to-finish contest headlined by a deep field of Major League Eaters. Chestnut was a last-minute scratch for Sunday’s wing-battle, and his reasons for missing the contest are not yet known.

At stake over the weekend were two championship titles and a total of $4,300 in cash prizes. Both events were held at the 12th annual festival at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo, NY. The events had one of the best fields of this year’s competitive eating circuit, including Eric “Badlands” Booker, Yasir Salem, and the legendary Crazy Legs Conti.

“Women are showing their strength and skill by leading in all sectors of our culture, from business and academics to athletics – it is no surprise to me that for the first time ever, women have swept a major on the eating circuit,” said Drew Cerza. “It is another Buffalo first.”

The U.S. Buffalo Wing-Eating Championship is a 12-minute contest to see who can consume the wing meat off the bone. A debris-food, the wings are weighed before and after the contest. Competitors in the Buffet Bowl race to finish a five-pound bowl of food that features various staples of Buffalo cuisine. Buffet Bowl items included Buffalo-style chicken fingers, beef on weck and Buffalo pizza.

At last year’s National Buffalo Wing Festival more than 500,000 wings were served to 71,000 attendees. Throughout the festival’s history, more than 575,000 visitors have consumed 3 million wings. The annual event has raised more than $200,000 for Western New York charities. For more information on the National Buffalo Wing Festival, visit www.buffalowing.com