'Being a woman gives competitive eating advantage'

A competitive eater has said being a woman in an area dominated by men gives her an edge, after she ate a dozen burgers in 10 minutes for her latest challenge.

Leah Shutkever, who lives in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, has been a professional competitive eater since 2018 and has her own YouTube channel.

She said she had broken 40 Guinness World Records, including the most lasagne eaten in 30 seconds and the most jelly snakes eaten in 30 seconds.

"Being a woman has been a great advantage, because being underestimated is the greatest [tool]," Ms Shutkever said.

She added that she enjoyed her job because she was competitive and she liked representing women in her field.

Ms Shutkever said she "fell into" competitive eating in 2013 by doing challenges at local restaurants, before being scouted for a Japanese TV show.

"They loved the idea that I was a woman and I beat the men," the former interior designer said.

She said her feats have included eating a three-kilo burrito in about six minutes, as well as a challenge involving the Swedish fermented fish surströmming.

"The smell stays on your skin, on the walls of your house, embedded in the memory part of your brain," she said of the surströmming challenge.

Ms Shutkever likened herself to a professional sportsperson, saying she had many years of experience and knew how to manage challenges safely.

If she made a YouTube video on her own, she took on challenges that were not high-risk for someone at her level, she said.

When she attempts a world record there is a team present to support her, and when she appears on TV shows there are risk assessments and on-site paramedics, she added.

For her latest challenge last month, Ms Shutkever had to eat as many burgers as possible in 10 minutes.

"I'm a bit of an old hand at it now, so I know how I'm going to feel afterwards," she said, adding that she often feels "heavy" after a challenge but not sick.

Her post-challenge routine usually includes a long drive home, drinking lots of water, and going to the gym for cardio exercises if she feels up to it.

She said that, despite her day job, she still enjoyed food outside of work.

"I still love food, I'm a foodie," she said.

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