10-24-2008, 08:18 AM
A graduate student died Thursday as he was about to win a competitive eating contest at a college in central Taiwan, Reuters reported.
As the 23-year-old was throwing back buns filled with rice and cheese, as well as some of his teammateââ¬â¢s food, he began vomiting uncontrollably and then lost consciousness and died, Dayeh University officials said.
The contestant, described as tall and strong, had pulled ahead of 30 other teams in the ââ¬ÅBig Stomach Kingââ¬Â contest just before the incident.
ââ¬ÅI can't say why he died,ââ¬Â Reuters quoted university dean of student affairs Huang Te-hsiang. ââ¬ÅHe had been in the contest before. He was a strong guy.ââ¬Â
The victim, named Chen, may have died from eating too fast, the university said. He would have won $60 if he had finished first in the 5-year-old annual binge-eating contest, Reuters reported.
All campus-based eating contests have been halted in Taiwan while an investigation is launched.
As the 23-year-old was throwing back buns filled with rice and cheese, as well as some of his teammateââ¬â¢s food, he began vomiting uncontrollably and then lost consciousness and died, Dayeh University officials said.
The contestant, described as tall and strong, had pulled ahead of 30 other teams in the ââ¬ÅBig Stomach Kingââ¬Â contest just before the incident.
ââ¬ÅI can't say why he died,ââ¬Â Reuters quoted university dean of student affairs Huang Te-hsiang. ââ¬ÅHe had been in the contest before. He was a strong guy.ââ¬Â
The victim, named Chen, may have died from eating too fast, the university said. He would have won $60 if he had finished first in the 5-year-old annual binge-eating contest, Reuters reported.
All campus-based eating contests have been halted in Taiwan while an investigation is launched.
Will it blend? That is the question.