The Winner of American Ninja Warrior Season 16 Has Been Revealed
Who is the Last Ninja Standing?
Season 16 of American Ninja Warrior has come to a triumphant end. And, yes, someone claimed the $1 million prize—for the second year in a row.
Find out the winner, below:
Who won American Ninja Warrior Season 16?
With a successful ascent up Mt. Midoriyama and the fastest time of the night, Vance Walker was named the Season 16 Last Ninja Standing. He makes ANW history as the first Ninja ever to win two seasons in a row (and claim the $1 million prize both times).
"It feels amazing," Walker told NBC Insider about winning. "I've been so grateful to even be able to compete on the show in the first place with all the struggles that I've had growing up. I was born with cerebral palsy, and I never thought that I would even be able to walk without braces on my legs..."
Walker continued, "I've just been so blessed to be able to be on the show in the first place, especially to compete at a high level. And winning it once, achieving my dream once, was already the greatest thing in the world, but to be able to do it twice was so much better.”
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Seventy-two Ninjas were left standing after the Semi-Finals. Stage 1 of the Season 16 Finals required the Ninjas to conquer eight obstacles before slamming the buzzer. As if the stakes weren't high already, they had to hit said buzzer with a time under 2 minutes and 50 seconds to qualify for Stage 2.
Stage 2 featured the return of head-to-head races. Walker competed against Flip Rodriguez, and their run was a nail-biter.
"I was terrified when I learned that I was going against Flip on Stage 2. I had never cleared Stage 2 on my first try before Season 16..." Walker said.
Walker continued, "I knew that we both had a good shot at clearing but that we both are prone to mistakes. And I felt like we were probably both going to clear, but it was still very terrifying because I know how fast he is. I know how good of a competitor he is."
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Walker eventually got the lead in Stage 2 and slammed his buzzer, sending him to Stage 3, which only five competitors survived. This small group (including Walker, Noah Meunier, Caleb Bergstrom, Nacssa Garemore, and Kai Beckstrand) advanced to Stage 4: the rope climb up Mt. Midoriyama.
By the end of Stage 4, only Walker was left, making him the winner of the season.
"I want my legacy to be that I was the best," Walker said following his history-making victory. "I've always wanted to be the best at something. And especially coming from where I started, I think being known as the guy who did it twice and being known as the guy who did it more than anybody else, that's obviously my goal. But besides that, I want to be known as the person who came from nothing, a person who came from all the odds stacked against him. So not only that I was good, but that I came from being told that I might never be able to walk at all... I feel like it's an amazing story. It's an inspiring story..."
