Former NCAA Division I gymnast and current pillar of lithe muscle Kacy Catanzaro has become the first woman to complete the American Ninja Warrior qualifying course.
But “complete” might not be a strong enough verb. Watch her performance and judge for yourself:
It’s tough to choose a single most impressive part of the run. It might actually be the fact that she remains so poised and collected throughout. American Ninja Warrior courses are rather different from those of the American Gladiators of yore: their length means that competitors are best served by a nice, even pace.
Catanzaro was named the NCAA Southeast Regional’s Gymnast of the Year in 2012, while a student at Towson University in Maryland.
She finished seventh out of fifteen in the competition, good enough for a trip to Mount Midoriyama in Las Vegas.
From there, the top finishers will go on to compete in Japan against that country’s winners, for the title of world champion.
American Ninja Warrior, currently in its sixth season, is a spin-off of the popular Japanese television program Sasuke. “Ninja Warrior” is the word “Sasuke” translated loosely into English.
