On the Fourth of July, of course, the world of competitive eating celebrates its idiosyncratic and bizarre existence with Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
For the second year in a row, Australia will have a worthy representative at the pinnacle of competitive eating in Coney Island, New York.
Who is James Webb?
James Webb, a product of Baulkham Hills in Sydney, is both Australia's national eating champion and the top-ranked competitive eater in the Southern Hemisphere.
The 34 year-old accredits his talent for eating to growing up in a big Croatian family, where food was piled onto the table and it was every child for themselves.
Not even Webb could have foreseen his meteoric rise when he dipped his toe into adventurous eating just two years ago, smashing a big burger challenge at a pub in the Hunter Valley. In 2022, he debuted at the biggest competitive eating event in the world and faced-off against the greatest of all time, Joey Chestnut.
Webb doesn't cut the figure you'd expect from a hot-dog shovelling champion at all. Clearly a man in very good shape, he often takes down his challenges in custom basketball singlets and slides. He has placed huge importance on the support from his partner, Kate.
How many hot dogs can James Webb eat?
Webb smashed a staggering 41 hot dogs in his debut appearance at Coney Island in 2022, enough to earn him third place.
He has announced his desire to go nine further and hit 50 in this year's competition. The record lies with Chestnut, who smashed 74 "dog and buns" at Nathan's in 2018.
Betting odds for Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Odds courtesy of SportsBet
| Joey Chestnut | $1.04 |
| Geoffrey Esper | $10.00 |
| James Webb | $11.00 |
| Nick Wehry | $17.00 |
| Matt Stonie | $19.00 |
| Darron Breeden | $21.00 |
| Patrick Bertoletti | $26.00 |
| Gideon Oji | $34.00 |
