The craziest, most jaw-dropping moments from Ninja Warrior around the world

AUSTRALIA has gone mad for Ninja Warrior but before it arrived here, the show produced some incredible contestants globally. Here are a few of the best.

AUSTRALIA has gone mad for Ninja Warrior but before it arrived here, the show produced some incredible contestants globally.

While Sunday’s night’s debut episode averaged 1.68 million viewers across the five capital cities, Japanese audiences have been tuning in since the late 1990s.

Variations of the show have been produced in 18 different countries.

Here are some of the standout competitors the show has unearthed so far.

Meagan Martin

Meagan Martin, a gymnast since the age of five, competed in the sixth season of Ninja Warrior US in 2014 and was the first woman to complete the dreaded ‘jumping spider’ obstacle in her novice year — this was dubbed a “tremendous milestone” for women in sport. Martin upheld this record for a few years before Japanese competitor Luci Romberg finally beat the obstacle. After competing in the show, Martin went on to compete in various rock climbing competitions.

Jimmy Choi

Jimmy Choi, a 41-year-old father from Illinois is battling Parkinson’s disease — a neurological movement disorder that can cause symptoms such as muscle rigidness, tremors and slowness of movement.

His daughter encouraged him to apply for this year’s show, which he competed on behalf of the Michael J Fox Foundation — a charity set up by the actor to fund research into the disease.

He was unfortunately disqualified after falling off the ‘broken pipes’ obstacle, however he has his eyes set on trying again next year.

Joe Moravsky

Joe Moravsky has appeared on Ninja Warrior four times in America — becoming a fan favourite and a veteran of the show. He originally appeared on the show in 2013 as a newly engaged man and came back in 2014 after he was married. He returned in 2015 with news that he and his wife were expecting their first child — and then again in 2015 with a whole new motivation for completing the course after becoming a first time dad. This all happened before he turned 23 in June this year.

Shingo Yamamoto

Shingo Yamamoto appeared in the Japanese series Sasuke — the beginning of the international competition, which was retitled Ninja Warrior in other countries. The all-star, formally a gas station manager, was the only person to compete in every Sasuke competition and the only person to have attempted the first and second version of the Final Stage.

Kazuhiko Akiyama

Hindered by an eye condition known as degenerative retinosis, crab fisherman and massage therapist Kazuhiko Akiyama is known for being the first contestant to ever achieve Total Victory on Sasuke.

Zac Gowen

Zac Gowen competed in the US version of Ninja Warrior in 2016. The former wrestler tragically lost his leg at age eight after being diagnosed with cancer, and he has been candid about later life-threatening battles with drug and alcohol abuse. Gowen credited boxing with giving him a new perspective on life and enabling him to reach his goals.

Originally published as The craziest, most jaw-dropping moments from Ninja Warrior around the world