Joey Chestnut waited out a rain delay, then got another win at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, downing 62 franks and buns in 10 minutes.

Chestnut beat out runner-up Geoffrey Esper and the rest of an international field of 15 competitive eaters by double digits to clinch his 16th title. Esper, of Oxford, Massachusetts managed to ingest 49 hot dogs and buns.

“What a roller coaster, emotionally,” Chestnut said after riding out the rain and wondering whether the famed contest would go on at all. “Everybody got messed up.”

The Chestnut, 39, first competed for the Nathan’s title in 2005 and hasn’t lost it since 2015.

His best finish was in 2021 when he tallied 76 hot dogs, but Tuesday’s weather disruption made a repeat impossible.

In the women’s contest, defending champion Miki Sudo forced down 39 1/2 hot dogs and buns to collect her ninth Mustard Belt. But before the men could compete, stormy weather moved over New York City’s Coney Island and delayed the competition for two hours.

Sudo beat Mayoi Ebihara’s 33 1/2 hot dogs in 10 minutes in a women’s event that appeared to be much closer until the final count was announced. The unofficial real-time counter showed the two leaders tied throughout much of the competition. A final count of plates settled the score.

The men’s competition was initially canceled, according to reports, die to weather.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.