Recently, the eyes of the sporting world were fixed on the awesome achievement of a man whom many consider to be the best ever at his chosen discipline, adding yet another triumph to his glittering career and breaking more records in another tense contest with a gritty rival.

I refer, as I am sure you will be aware, to Joey Chestnut's third consecutive victory at the Nathan's Famous July Fourth International Eating Contest in New York, where he retained his crown by gulping down an amazing 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Nathan's is the oldest and most highly respected annual event in the international calendar of competitive eating.

There are plenty of other eating events involving oysters, pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken wings or almost any other foodstuff you care to order. But nothing has the glamour or prestige of hot dogs, which have been on the menu for the world's favourite eating competition since its inception in 1916.

For 80 years, the event was dominated by abdominally gifted Americans, but in the final years of the 20th century, the slim Japanese began to out-eat them.

In 1997, Hirofumi Nakajima set a new world record by eating 24.5 hot dogs in the 12 minutes allowed by competition rules. And in 2000, Kazutoyo "The Rabbit" Arai became the first person to top the 25 hot dog mark.

Then, in 2001, the amazing Takeru Kobayashi, in what has been described as the greatest ever feat of competitive eating, doubled the record with exactly 50 hot dogs.

Kobayashi retained the title for the next five years, but the Americans, with their national pride dented by their loss of the coveted Mustard Belt awarded to the winner, were slowly working to make up the formidable gap that Kobashi had opened.

Finally, in 2007, the title came back to them, in the form of Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, who set a stomach churning new mark of 66 hot dogs.

Before the event began, Kobayashi's world record stood at 54; in the 2007 final, he raised that figure to 63, but it still fell three short of Joey Chestnut's achievement.

Since then, the two men have stood tooth to tooth in a magnificent rivalry matching anything seen in any other sport. In 2008, possibly to save hot dogs, or perhaps for health and safety reasons, the time limit was cut from 12 to 10 minutes, at the end of which both Kobayashi and Chestnut had consumed 59 hot dogs, complete with buns.

A five-bun eat-off was held to determine the winner, with Chestnut wolfing his down in the faster time to retain his title.

This year's event once again saw both men reaching new heights, and once again, Joey Chestnut won, with 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes to the 64.5 of Kobayashi.

Both men thus managed to down more hot dogs in 10 minutes than they had achieved in the old time of 12 minutes two years earlier.

Never in the field of human eating has so much been guzzled by so few in so little time. This, as even Roger Federer would surely acknowledge, is true sporting excellence.

I take my hat off, and loosen my belt, to both of them.