Wurst Result: Hot Dog Eating Champion Defeated

The Independence Day hot dog eating contest has taken place in the US, but fans have found the result a little hard to swallow.

Matt Stonie, a relative newcomer in the sport, managed to devour 62 hot dogs and buns in just 10 minutes – dashing Joey "Jaws" Chestnut's dream of securing his ninth consecutive victory.

The 23-year-old gained the lead early on in the competition, and three minutes in, was half a hot dog ahead of his 31-year-old rival.

It's a far cry from last year, when Chestnut smashed records by downing 69 hot dogs - and won a match minutes after proposing to his girlfriend.

Conceding defeat at the Coney Island event, Chestnut said the loss had made him "hungry" for a comeback, adding: "I've been looking for competition for a long time and I finally have it."

However, the competitive eating veteran can take comfort in the fact he still managed to swallow 60 sausages during the match – a country mile ahead of the third-place contestant, who only mustered 35 hot dogs.

Stonie, who picked up a $10,000 prize and the celebrated mustard yellow championship belt, described his victory as "amazing" – and explained how the triumph took a lot of training.

"We don't just go up there and eat hot dogs – we practice for this, we prepare our bodies," he said.

"It was a tough contest. Joey brings it all. I had to push really hard to beat him. But I feel great."

According to security guards at the event, the police dogs were not distracted from their job by the tempting aroma of grilled meat.