Stephen Bunting conqueror stuns the world in legendary New York arena now he craves the Mecca of Darts
The 50-year-old produced the biggest performance of his career to batter The Bullet in the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Gardens in front of a joyous New York crowd.
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Brandon won 6-4 over Bunting with the Tennessee slinger earning redemption for his loss to Rob Cross on the stage two years ago. But, as well as success in the States, he also has eyes on another iconic venue in London and a place alongside the likes of defending champion Luke Littler in this year's expanded Paddy Power World Championship.
READ MORE: Excited Damon Heta fancied running into crowd on insane New York debut
READ MORE: Open legends extending their 25-year scrap into another Major battle
June 27, 2025; New York, NY; Luke Litter vs Jules van Dongen during the first round of the 2025 bet365 US Darts Masters at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. Mandatory Credit: Matt Heasley/PDC
PDC expansions of the event have opened more doors for the likes of Brandon with five places available to US-based stars for Ally Pally.
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Brandon also has a shot of making the Lakeside World Championship, but has no hesitation in nominating which English Capital venue he'd like to be heading at Christmas as he said: 'It's bad to say, but I 100 per cent have to pick Ally Pally. It's just that's since I started and I found out about all this stuff, that's been a dream of mine to play. Obviously, Lakeside is awesome and I would love to get back there and have another chance. But if I was to qualify for Ally Pally, I would absolutely have to take that spot.
'We have all kinds of opportunities now and with the additional spots since they've expanded the PDC, those other spots now that's available to get, there's other avenues, not just open for one or two positions. We've got like five spots we can get now. That's awesome. I hope it gets more from there. I hope it expands even further, but we'll see how it goes.
'I'm hoping I don't mess myself up out of any of the spots. I tried to do that a few years ago, tried to play both and try to keep my options open to play CDC and WDF. Hopefully I have a shot at PDC and I messed myself up out of both of them. Right now I'm still in a good spot for Lakeside. I still can make the CDC stuff and we'll see how it goes.'
Brandon is thrilled to have the New York opportunity and said: 'I've got to admit, I really wasn't expecting to make it back this year. I only had the one chance left in the qualifier and I played the best starts I played all day. I was fortunate enough to get through the qualifier to make it back up here.
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'It's unreal that darts is the way is coming up here now in the US. To be able to play at such an iconic stage, it's amazing. It's great. It's awesome.'
June 27, 2025; New York, NY; Damon Heta vs Jim Long during the first round of the 2025 bet365 US Darts Masters at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. Mandatory Credit: Matt Heasley/PDC
He displayed his talents with the Bunting success which has earned a last-eight crack at Damon Heta and said: 'That's my biggest win. I'm struggling to find the words. My goal was to come up here and get a little bit of redemption for two years ago. I don't know how I held it together but I was able to focus. I'm feeling way better about my darts now than I was coming into the event. I'm ready for Saturday.'
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
55 Major League Eating records that belong to Joey Chestnut
Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2023 and has been updated. There are few traditions more American than the equal parts fascinating and disgusting art of competitive eating. And when it comes to competitive eating, there's one undisputed king: Joey Chestnut. Chestnut is best known for dominating the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, which is held on July 4 at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. He's won the men's title 16 times, which includes every year from 2007 through 2023 except for 2015 when he was upset by Matt Stonie. (In 2024, Chestnut wasn't banned but was unable to participate in the contest because of a conflicting sponsorship. But he's back in 2025!) But Chestnut's record-setting eating includes more than just hot dogs. Ahead of the latest installment of the contest, here's a rundown of all 55 Major League Eating world records held by Chestnut. 1. Chicken wings, long form Chestnut's dominance carries over to another staple of cookout food. He once downed an unthinkable 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes to set the record. 2. Hot dogs Chestnut is best known for his performances in the Hot Dog Eating Contest, so it shouldn't be surprising that he broke his own record by eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes during the 2021 competition. 3. Pulled pork sandwiches I guess when you really think about it, pulled pork sandwiches are basically just shredded hot dogs. Right? Regardless, Chestnut ate 45 of them in 10 minutes back in 2007. 4. Taco Bell soft beef tacos Who doesn't love Taco Bell? How do 53 tacos in 10 minutes sound? That's the record Chestnut set in 2011. 5. Krystal hamburgers We're sticking in the fast-food realm here. I know Krystal burgers aren't that big, but it's still hard to imagine downing 103 of them in eight minutes like Chestnut did in 2007. 6. Meat pies Chestnut went down to south Mississippi in 2016, where he set a world record at the Silver Slipper World Meat Pie Eating Championship by eating 23 six-ounce pies in 10 minutes. 7. Eggs As someone who can't stand hard-boiled eggs, this one sounds like my personal nightmare. Credit to Chestnut, though, who in 2013 ate 141 of them in just eight minutes. 8. Asparagus Chestnut's competitive eating doesn't exclude healthy foods — although it's hard to call deep-fried asparagus spears particularly healthy. He ate 12 pounds and 8.75 ounces worth in 10 minutes at the Stockton Asparagus Festival in 2014. 9. Pork ribs This one just causes me physical pain to think about. 13.76 pounds of pork rib meat in 12 minutes is not for the faint of heart (gut?). 10. Corned beef sandwiches Chestnut celebrated St. Patrick's Day in 2012 by taking down 20 eight-ounce corned beef sandwiches in 10 minutes. 11. Apple pie It's fitting that Chestnut holds the only record that could be more American than hot dogs on the Fourth of July. He finished 4.375 three-pound pies in just eight minutes back in 2013. 12. Philly cheesesteaks Chestnut went to Philadelphia's Dorney Park to set a very Philly record, downing 23 six-inch cheesesteaks in 10 minutes in 2011. 13. Funnel cake Sticking with the amusement parks, Chestnut ate 5.9 pounds worth of the popular deep-fried, powdered sugar-covered festival fare at Kings Dominion in 2009. 14. Fish tacos This won't be the last mention of tacos on this list. When it comes to the seafood variety, he ate 30 six-ounce tacos in only five minutes in 2014. 15. Traditional tacos, three-inch tortilla Chestnut had little problem with these smaller tacos, either, putting away 126 in only eight minutes. 16. Mutton sandwiches A master of all meat, Chestnut ate 81 four-ounce sandwiches in 10 minutes in 2018. 17. Jalapeño poppers Adding a bit of spice to the mix isn't a problem for Chestnut, who once ate 118 Jalapeño poppers in 10 minutes in 2006, one of his earlier records. 18. Pepperoni rolls Forty-three pepperoni rolls is a pretty impressive 10-minute total, if you ask me. 19. Shrimp wontons This is maybe the most unbelievable of all of Chestnut's records. I know shrimp wontons are light, but how is it even possible to eat 390 of them in eight minutes as he did in 2012? 20. Pulled Pork Who needs the bread? Chestnut ate nine pounds, six ounces of smoked pulled pork in just 10 minutes in 2006. 21. Horseshoe sandwiches Full disclosure: I had to look up what these are. Horseshoe sandwiches originate from Springfield, Illinois, and are open-faced, typically consisting of Texas toast, a hamburger patty, french fries and a cheese sauce. Anyway, Chestnut at a 6-pound, 5-ounce one in just 12 minutes one time. 22. Pulled pork sliders What if the pulled pork had bread, but it was just smaller? Don't make me laugh. He knocked out 62 sliders in 10 minutes in 2014. 23. San Pedro fish market shrimp Shrimp is great. Seven pounds of shrimp in eight minutes? Sheesh. 24. Canteen sandwiches I also didn't know what this was, and preliminary Google searches were unclear. It seems to just be a sandwich made with loose ground beef? Regardless, it sounds like another unholy midwestern creation, and Chestnut ate 28.5 of them in Ottumwa, Iowa, in 2018. 25. Gyros Chestnut ate 30 of the eight-ounce Greek sandwiches back in 2016. 26. Pork roll sandwiches Now, I'm from Florida, but it's my understanding that the name of these breakfast sandwiches is highly controversial, and about half of our New Jersey readers already want to hurt me for calling it a pork roll. I doubt they could do more damage than Chestnut did to himself, though, when he ate 61.5 four-ounce versions at a Trenton Thunder Minor League Game in 2021. 27. Burritos, long form In another record that just feels physically impossible, Chestnut ate 14.5 pounds of burritos in just 10 minutes in 2016. 28. Twinkies Who doesn't love the classic Hostess pastry? Perhaps not Chestnut anymore, after he ate 121 of them in just six minutes in 2013. 29. Boysenberry pie The hybrid boysenberry, which is a cross between the raspberry, blackberry, loganberry and dewberry, originated at Knott's Berry Farm, and it was there that Chestnut ate 14.5 pounds of boysenberry pie in eight minutes in 2016. 30. Tamales Chestnut ate 102 of these corn pastries in a 12-minute sitting back in 2012. 31. Gyoza These Chinese dumplings, also sometimes called potstickers when fried, are very popular. I doubt many have even come close to matching Chestnut's record-setting 384, though. 32. Pastrami Chestnut ate 25 seven-ounce pastrami sandwiches from the iconic Katz's Delicatessen. 33. Gumbo This stew is a staple of Louisiana cuisine, and Chestnut holds the world record for eating 15 16-ounce bowls of it — or nearly two gallons — in just eight minutes. 34. Ice cream sandwiches These are a classic childhood treat, but Chestnut was probably feeling some major brain freeze after eating 25.5 of them in only six minutes. 35. Grilled cheese sandwiches Grilled cheese may not be that filling, but it's still hard to wrap my mind around eating 47 of them in 10 minutes. 36. Poutine This mix of fries, cheese curds and gravy is a popular dish in Canada, and Chestnut ate 28 pounds of it in just 10 minutes back in 2019. 37. Shrimp cocktail Shrimp cocktail is a popular appetizer, but Chestnut probably filled up while eating 21 pounds of St. Elmo's shrimp cocktail in eight minutes in 2024 — breaking his 2018 mark of 18.5 pounds. 38. Hostess Donettes Thinking about these made me hungry. At least, until I realized Joey Chestnut ate 257 of them in six minutes one time. Now, I just feel sad and a bit scared. 39. Salt potatoes I had never heard of salt potatoes, which seem to just be potatoes boiled in salt water and butter. They were obviously popular enough for Chestnut to eat a record 13 pounds of them in 2011. 40. Turkey (whole) Y'all ever just eat an entire Thanksgiving turkey by yourself? Chestnut polished one off weighing nearly 10 pounds in just 10 minutes in 2014. 41. Pierogi Chestnut's got the dumpling sweep after eating 165 pierogis in just eight minutes in 2014. 42. White Hut Cheesburgers Chestnut ate 52 cheeseburgers in 10 minutes from the Springfield, Massachusetts, based burger joint. 43. Pizza Hut P'Zones I remember being a huge fan of the P'Zones when they first came out. That's not a relevant detail at all, I think I'm just starting to dissociate from all these ridiculous eating records. He ate 7.5 of them in 10 minutes, by the way. 44. Kolaches Kolaches are a Czech (usually fruit) filled pastry. That doesn't really matter, though. What matters is that Chestnut ate 56 of them — in this case filled with sausage and cheese — in eight minutes in 2007. 45. Brain tacos At the Minneapolis Zombie Pub Crawl, Chestnut ate 54 tacos made from actual animal brains. Apparently, it's a pretty common taco filler. 46. Croquetas Chestnut ate an astounding 185 of these French deep-fried rolls. 47. 2-foot pizza slices Chestnut ate more than twice his body length worth of pizza in just a 10-minute sitting one time at Fat Boy's Pizza in Kenner, Louisiana. 48. Carnitas tacos I told you to get used to seeing tacos on this list. In 2019, Chestnut ate 82 of the two-ounce variety at the Santa Monica Pier. 49. Eggo waffles Chestnut conquered this easy frozen breakfast staple by eating 81 of them in only eight minutes back in 2019. 50. Beef brisket sandwiches Chestnut is cleary a fan of the BBQ challenges, and he took down 27 H-E-B True Texas beef brisket sandwiches in only 10 minutes. 51. Ramen noodles, short form Ramen at home is widely considered a cheaper meal, but it gets a bit more expensive when you eat it in Chestnut-esque volumes. He set the record by eating 10 cups in a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. 52. Cherry pie Not content with just a single pie-related record, Chestnut set this record last July by eating 17.5 pounds of cherry pie. 53. Bologna slices In May 2025, Chestnut grabbed another new record, this time for downing 15.75 pounds of bologna slices in eight minutes at the Ultimate Bologna Showdown. 54. Cheesesteak egg rolls In 2023, Chestnut ate 46 cheesesteak egg rolls in eight minutes. 55. Hostess Donettes Back in 2018, Chestnut devoured 257 Hostess Donettes in six minutes.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Wimbledon 2025: Novak Djokovic 'executes perfectly' in Round 2 sweep
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Footwear Demand Cools: Can NIKE Keep Its Lead in the Sneaker Game?
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