The “American Ninja Warrior” announcers never tire of saying it: Kai Beckstrand, a teen from St. George, is one of the most formidable competitors on the show.
The “American Ninja Warrior” announcers never tire of saying it: Kai Beckstrand, a teenager from St. George, Utah, is one of the most formidable competitors on the show.
Beckstrand is fast — really fast.
Every single year he has competed on “ANW” — Seasons 13, 15 and 16 — he has completed the qualifying obstacle course that puts balance and upper body strength to the test with the fastest time of all the ninjas competing in his episode.
Going into Season 17, his fastest time for the qualifying round was a little over 54 seconds.
But if Beckstrand wanted to keep up his fastest ninja streak, he was going to need to be even faster this time around due to a super tough competitor: his younger brother.
Luke Beckstrand cruises through ‘American Ninja Warrior’ course
Luke Beckstrand made his “ANW” debut last year, and returned this season 3 inches taller and with 20 pounds of muscle.
During the most recent episode of “ANW,” which aired Monday night, the 17-year-old cruised through the course in 54.92 seconds, putting some pressure on his older brother.
“His brother Kai is one of the top competitors, but Luke may be just as good,” the “ANW” announcers said.
But Kai Beckstrand, for his part, insisted that he is “definitely stronger and faster than last season.”
“I believe that I can win this whole thing,” the 19-year-old “ANW” veteran said.
The brothers insist there is no rivalry, though.
Kai Beckstrand was cheering for his younger brother from the sidelines and appeared to be in disbelief at Luke Beckstrand’s fast time, which even accounted for missing a first attempt to run up the 14.5-foot wall to hit the buzzer at the end.
But Kai Beckstrand didn’t have too much time to marvel at his brother’s accomplishment.
It was soon his turn to see if he could turn in an even faster performance.
Kai Beckstrand dominates on ‘American Ninja Warrior’
Before Kai Beckstrand took off on the course, “ANW” sideline reporter Zuri Hall noted that the teen is “considered one of the fastest ninjas on the planet.”
And he lived up to that Monday night.
Beckstrand completed the Season 17 qualifying course in a staggering 52.90 seconds — the fastest time of the night (for the fourth time in a row) and his personal record for that course.
Completing the course in under a minute gave Kai Beckstrand the chance to attempt a run up the 18.5-foot Mega Wall for $10,000 — a feat that only two competitors (so far) had achieved this season.
Beckstrand raced up the wall to hit the buzzer and claim the 10 grand — his third time conquering the Mega Wall.
Kai and Luke Beckstrand ended the night with the two fastest times (it’s worth noting that if Luke Beckstrand hadn’t missed his first attempt at running up the wall, he likely would’ve had the fastest time of the night).
The brothers join their younger sister Baylee Beckstrand, who competed earlier in the season, in the semifinals.
Utahn Mady Howard also advances on ‘American Ninja Warrior’
“ANW” veteran Mady Howard, who is a nurse from St. George and frequently trains for the show with the Beckstrands at the family’s ninja-themed gym The Grip, competed for her sixth time Monday night.
She became just the second mom in the show’s history to complete a course and hit the buzzer, the announcers said.
Howard, who was a gymnast at Southern Utah University, previously competed on the show when she was six months postpartum. Now, her son Beckham is 3 and enthusiastically cheering from the sidelines with his dad.
“I think that ‘Ninja Warrior’ is a great outlet for me,” Howard previously told the Deseret News. “It’s my fun outlet where I can play like a little kid on a playground, where I can go and be competitive and kind of chase my own dreams. It challenges me to be a better person and a better mom. I seriously just love it.”
Several other Utah ninjas competed during Monday’s episode but didn’t advance to the semifinals, including:
- 40-year-old artist Jenedy Paige, from Pleasant Grove
- 38-year-old photographer Josh Ferguson, from American Fork
- 20-year-old Bryton Myler, a Ninja Kidz sibling from Draper
- 16-year-old Payton Myler, a Ninja Kidz sibling from Draper
What other Utahns have advanced on ‘ANW’ Season 17?
Earlier in the season, six teens from Utah advanced to the Season 17 semifinals, which will begin airing later this summer.
Per the Deseret News, that includes:
- 16-year-old Baylee Beckstrand, from St. George
- 16-year-old Paxton Myler, from Draper
- 17-year-old Violet Kepo’o, from Pleasant Grove
- 18-year-old Ashton Myler, from Draper
- 18-year-old Anna McArthur, from St. George
- 19-year-old Colton Skuster (who completed the qualifying course in just a little over 52 seconds), from Salt Lake City
The “American Ninja Warrior” semifinals premiere Monday, July 14, on NBC.
Source: Utah News