Cheered on by hundreds of fans on Sunday, he devoured 100 roasted pork buns (cha siu bao) in 12 minutes, beating six Hong Kong candidates in an eating contest.

Sunday's feat at the Whampoa Gourmet Place in Hung Hom may end up in the Guinness Book of World Records, said the organizers, Wasabe Creation.

A graduate in economics at the Kokaichi University in Nagoya, the reigning world hotdog-eating champion Kobayashi, 27, said, ``I will never get tired of competing in eating contests as I see them as challenges. I try to break my record every time.''

Kobayashi is a five-time winner of the Nathan's hotdog-eating competition in New York. Last year he became the world's hotdog-eating champion by devouring 53½ hotdogs in 12 minutes.

He sees his profession as a lifetime career and he hopes to take on apprentices when he retires.

``I hope my apprentices can break my record,'' he said.

It was Kobayashi's first visit to Hong Kong and he now hopes to get a taste of Guangdong's cuisine before leaving for Nagoya, Japan, today.

For his effort Sunday, Kobayashi, who weighs 65 kg and is single, won a HK$20,000 in cash and a watch worth HK$4,000. Kobayashi said he began his eating career in 2000. His biggest purse was HK$700,000 in the Japanese National Eating Contest in 2001.

He said he has a normal appetite, but he believes his stomach is a little more elastic than others.

Kobayashi skipped dinner and breakfast before Sunday's contest. He once starved himself for three days to prepare for an international contest.

Kumi Sugahara, a Japanese Hong Kong resident, said Kobayashi is her idol. ``He has been a long-time champion in Japan. He is a star!'' she said.

The first runner-up, Johnny Wu, 34, finished on 47 buns.