More than 350 records in speed eating and drinking have been broken by Peter Dowdeswell – yet ultimately, a single beer led to his downfall.
After attempting to drink a pint while inverted, the world champion has been compelled to retire due to back and shoulder injuries.
At 71 years old, having once consumed a pint of champagne in just 3 seconds, he was let down on two occasions during the attempt by two individuals hired to support his legs.
On Friday, he plans to make a grand exit – aiming to eat 12 sausages in ten seconds while lying on a bed of nails resting on his friend’s head for his final record attempt.
Mr. Dowdeswell expressed his heartbreak over ending his 40-year career, which has helped raise around $7 million for children with disabilities. He remarked: ‘Thinking about it for the first time really hurt. For a 71-year-old to sit down and cry is a painful experience. If I could continue, I would, but it’s just not possible.’
Hailing from Northampton, England, the father of three achieved remarkable feats, including consuming nearly 1kg (2lbs) of haggis in under a minute, 24 pickled onions in the same duration, and downing 34 pints of beer within an hour.
He sustained his injuries in July while filming the BBC show Epic Win and has since initiated a compensation claim against the network.
He stated: ‘Since the accident, my condition has worsened, particularly in my back and shoulder. Right now, I mostly sit at home doing very little.’
