NEW YORK - Reigning champion of the annual US Fourth of July hot dog eating contest Joey Chestnut defended his title on Tuesday, clinching his 16th career win by scarfing down 62 franks in 10 minutes.

A thunderstorm delay at the scene of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating contest at New York City’s Coney Island did not seem to faze Mr Chestnut, 39, who hails from Indiana.

The second place men’s finisher, Mr Geoff Esper of Oxford, Massachusetts, was far behind with 49 hot dogs consumed.

Mr Chestnut fell short of besting his world record - 76 hot dogs - which he achieved in 2021. But he said he planned to push his body to new limits in the future.

“Today, things got in the way, but I’ll be coming back,” he told ESPN.

Earlier in the day, New York City native Miki Sudo won the women’s competition for the ninth time by eating 39.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes. She set the women’s world record in 2020 with 48.5 hot dogs.

The traditional 10-minute contest, a carnival-like spectacle broadcasted on ESPN, began in 1980 when the winning dog-eaters tied with nine franks. Mr Chestnut, by comparison, typically eats nine hot dogs in less than a minute.