By Neil Pooran
THE winner of the notorious Kismot Killer curry competition tonight revealed that “mind over matter” saved her from a trip to A&E.
Two contestants were hospitalised in the competition at the Edinburgh restaurant and ambulance chiefs urged the owners to tone down the event next year.
Beverley Jones, 53, said she managed to win the event, when others collapsed, using mental strength.
The 53-year-old said: “I just didn’t tell myself it was hot, I psyched myself up a bit and just went for it.
“I’ve never done anything like this before. It was all in my head, I just put mind over matter.”
Unemployed Mrs Jones, from Newington, Edinburgh, said she only entered the competion after her son Nick, 24, decided to join himself.
Mr Crone, who came last, has been friends with owner Abdul Ali for 10 years.
Mrs Jones said: “I didn’t realise I was the first person to stand up at the end of the competition.”
But she admitted the Kismot Killer got to her, even if the effects were delayed.
She said: “I stood up for about four or five minutes before I was sick.
“I didn’t go and brag about it to my friends, in fact I haven’t told anyone. But this morning I got some texts from friends who’d read about it saying ‘crickey!’
“I thought one of the guys was going to win it.
“I’ll go back to Kismot again, we eat here regularly. But ‘ll never try the Kismot Killer again!”
Abdul Ali, Kismot manager said: “There were tough looking guys with tattoos who came in, but they didn’t win. There’s some serious girl power going on here!”
Emergency services had to rush to the curry-eating challenge after competitors started writhing on the floor in agony, vomiting and fainting during the contest.
One of the participants, Curie Kim, whose name is pronounced ‘curry’, was so ill after sampling the ‘Kismot Killer’ that she had to be taken by ambulance to hospital twice in a matter of hours.
She said she had never endured such pain in her life.
The restaurant claims the Kismot Killer is made from the world’s hottest chillies. Those who complete it are given a certificate and entered into the restaurant’s online hall of fame.
Two members of the British Red Cross were on hand, but they could not cope with the nature of the injuries sustained.
Local councilor Gordon Mackenzie branded the event a ‘shambles’, and said: “The owners owe a debt to the ambulance service and I hope they find some way of making it up to them.”
A spokesman said: “We would urge the organisers to review the way in which this event is managed in the future in order to avoid another situation where emergency ambulances are required to treat their customers.”
