NEW YORK - The Capital City was well-represented at this year's world famous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York by Baton Rouge-based competitive eater Adrian Morgan.

While 33-year-old, 200 pound Morgan appeared on the stage with some of the most prolific eaters in the “sport,” he was unable to catch up to legendary Joey "Jaws" Chestnutt, who smashed the previous Nathan's contest record. Chestnutt chowed down on an even 70 weiners in 10 admittedly kind of gross minutes of gluttony, setting the pace for next Fourth of July's edition of the American tradition, now in its 100th year. Morgan managed to eat 35 dogs.

The contest saw an original swell of interest with the appearance of Japanese superstar Takeru Kobayashi in the early 2000s. More and more Americans now tune in each Fourth of July to watch the spectacle in New York.

According to Morgan’s Major League Eating profile, Adrian “The Rabbit” entered his first MLE contest at the Isle of Biloxi in January, 2010. From his initial outing, Morgan would quickly make a name for himself in the competitive eating scene by eating 18.5 peanut butter and banana sandwiches in 10 minutes.

Since he caught everyone’s attention with a jaw-dropping PB&B performance that would have impressed even Elvis, Adrian has garnered high praise and is widely considered an up-and-comer in the scene. He cemented his status as a true professional early last month when he turned up at the New Orleans Oyster Festival to decimate the competition by eating 44 dozen (528) raw Louisiana oysters in just eight minutes. He took home a $1,000 prize.

Along with some wicked indigestion, Chestnutt snagged a $10,000 cash prize and the famed Yellow Mustard Belt of Nathan’s Hot Dogs early Monday afternoon. The Nathan's contest is one of the preeminent competitive eating events on the planet, so even qualifying is a mark of distinction. One thing is for sure, "The Rabbit" is already eager to start qualification for next year's contest.