US hot dog-eating king takes down protester on way to title (VIDEO)

Joey Chestnut was hailed as a hero twice on Monday after winning the Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest and manhandling a protester on his way to victory.

Chestnut won the annual competition for the seventh consecutive year and made sure that he claimed 15 of its past 16 editions despite arriving at the Coney Island spectacle in Brooklyn on crutches due to a ruptured tendon.

Chestnut achieved victory by downing 63 hot dogs in 10 minutes, but actually apologized to the crowd and said he would do better next time after falling 13 short of matching his 2020 record.

Still, Chestnut's showing had him way ahead of the rest of the pack, with second-placed Geoffrey Esper managing just 47.5 hot dogs and James Webb 41 in third.

Midway through the contest, Chestnut also had to deal with a trouble-maker who attempted to derail the event. 

After Chestnut had just put away his 17th dog, protestors headed on to the platform in Star Wars character costumes and brandished signs that read: "Expose Smithfield’s Death Star," in reference to pork producer Smithfield Foods.

Not prepared to be thrown off his game and wait for security to step in, Chestnut handled business himself in scenes that have already been viewed 8.6 million times on social media.

Grabbing one protestor wearing a Darth Vader mask, Chestnut put the man in a headlock and then tossed him aside to carry on his tournament-winning display.

"Joey Chestnut choke-slamming a dude mid-competition and barely breaking stride is legitimately one of the most impressive athletic feats in human history," it was said in the caption to the widely-popular clip.

And according to comments he made to USA Today on Monday, Chestnut doesn't plan on his most recent victory being his last.

"I've still got a lot left," claimed the 38-year-old. "I've got a couple years left in me. If [NFL quarterback] Tom Brady can play in his 40s, I can make it to my 40s doing this.

"Just like construction workers and carpenters can't lift things [later] in their careers, it works the same way with food when your bodies get older," he suggested.

READ MORE: Hot dog-loving Paige Spiranac posts revealing 4th of July snap as she’s left frustrated after speed-eating champ smashes record

"But I'm still emotionally hungry. This is what I love to do. I love competition and hope people out there can love what they do as much as I love competitive eating. I love hot dogs! It's hard for me to imagine a day where I'm not in a Nathan's contest," Chestnut also said.

Preparing for the 4th of July the year round, Chestnut said that he trains merely by eating hot dogs and often participating in weekly contests that involve wolfing them down. 

Keen to smash his record, he believes he is capable of scoffing 80 hot dogs in one 10-minute sitting which was his target this week.