Stonie Sets World Chicken Spiedie Eating Record

Call this one Matthew Stonie's biggest win of the year to date. And we add "to date" because his performance at the 2016 Tioga Downs World Chicken Spiedie Eating Championship Presented by Lupo’s bodes well for the rest of the calendar. Stone ate 20 Lupo's Chicken Spiedies to win the event, set a new World Record and defeat Joey Chestnut in the process. His win was as complete a performance as we have seen from Stonie all year. It was a win with ramifications.

The Lupo's Chicken Spiedie—half a pound of frankly delicious marinated and grilled chicken served on a bread roll of impeccable quality—is as demanding a competition food type as they come. She is a test of jaw strength, capacity and emotional courage. Stonie was up to the task. He was fast, as is custom, out of the blocks and settled into a rhythm long before any other eater could. He did not slow. He did not falter. He simply pointed his mouth to the 10-minute mark and marched to victory. Chestnut could not find his metre, his beat. The surge did not come. Cincotti continued his stellar 2016 with third; he was a bite from tying the Great Chestnut for second. All three bested the previous World Record mark of 14 Lupo's Spiedies in 10 minutes. Others ate less.

But this was Stonie's day. He will head into the rest of 2016 having relearned that which he already knew: That Chestnut is not unbeatable. That he is a Champion. Sometimes all we need to do is listen to our inner power.

FULL RESULTS! 1 Matt Stonie, World Record 20 Lupo's Chicken Spiedies in 10 min 2 Joey Chestnut 16.75 3 Carmen Cincotti 16.5 4 Geoffrey Esper 13.5 5 Yasir Salem 8 6 Kevin Ambs 6.5 7 Wild Bill Myers and Michael Deitz 4.75 9 Larell Marie Mele 4 10 Benjamin Calderon, DQ, the poor chap