Meet the US 'black widow' who gobbles 180 chicken wings in 12 minutes

Melbourne, Sept 6 (ANI): An American woman, who calls herself the Black Widow, has broken the national championship record by gobbling up 180 chicken wings in 12 minutes in an eating contest.

Sonya Thomas ate 2.2 kilograms of chicken wings to win the contest, besting world eating marvel Joey Chestnut at the ninth annual National Buffalo Wing Festival.

"I'm so happy!" the Herald Sun quoted her as saying.

This was the first time Thomas, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Chestnut, of San Jose, California, faced off in a chicken wing eating contest.

They went at it "neck and neck," said Drew Cerza, the founder of the festival.

"They pushed each other really hard.

"Joey is so strong. He's got great jaw strength. But Sonya's so fast with the hand," he added.

Thomas, who's 152cm tall and weights 47kg, calls herself the Black Widow because she often defeats bigger male competitors in eating contests.

The sprightly 43-year-old said she owed today's triumph to her fancy finger work.

"Sometimes if I try to chew too much I slow down. I used my hands more than the mouth," she said.

She said she was still hungry afterward, calling the wings "an appetizer". (ANI)