Man Chokes to Death in Pancake-Eating Contest

A man from the western parts of Russia died yesterday after consuming copious amounts of pancakes at a regional fair. After eating more than 43 of the desserts, which were filled with cream and other goodies, 48-year-old Boris Isayev collapsed on stage, right before the eyes of the audience. Despite efforts to revive him, the man passed away on the spot.

Although still awaiting the results of the autopsy, medics believed that he might have chocked with a piece of pancake that lodged itself in his throat, making it impossible for him to breath. The fair in which Boris participated was the culmination of “Pancake Week,” a long-standing tradition in which the delicious dessert was served all around the country. Unfortunately, this year's edition proved fatal for the Russian man, who actually won the contest nonetheless.

After his victory was announced, he reportedly fell to his knees, foaming at the mouth, obviously finding himself in impossibility to breath. Until the ambulance arrived, people who had witnessed the show attempted to revive him, but it was already too late. Despite the fact that chocking was the most likely cause of death, doctors still insisted that an autopsy be performed, in order to rule out other medical conditions, which might have been triggered by the large intake of fat.

This case draws again attention to the fact that such contests are a real health risk, even though people think they are fun to view and attend. Physicians stress that the human body is not designed to consume such large quantities of food at once, without reason.

“He had really enjoyed the pancakes but then he started foaming at the mouth and went down like a sack of stones. We have seen people fainting [in contests] before,” but no one died thus far, one of the witnesses that was at the scene of the fair said. Almost all of the viewers told that Boris really seemed to enjoy the pancakes, and that no one had any doubt that he would win. Hopefully, he is now in a better place, where he can eat as many pancakes as he wants.