This year was one for the books!
With 2023 officially wrapping up, it’s only right we take a look at some of the World Ninja League’s most historic moments and events from this year. From formats to competitions to competitors, so much has been introduced and dialed up to an 11! Let’s check them out.
In June, the Tier 1 Championships were once again held in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Elite Division was incredibly stacked, and while it was anyone’s game for quite some time, two athletes rose to the top in a dominant fashion.
Elite Female Champion Addy Herman was one point away from a perfect sweep in Strongest Ninja, winning almost every event at the Championships. She also was one of three women to hit the buzzer on Stage 1, cementing her spot in WNL Royalty.
Meanwhile, Elite Male Champion Tyler Smith became the first Elite competitor to conquer every obstacle across all 3 Stages. After eight long years of waiting for that moment, it’s only fitting Smith’s incredible run led to him earning the title of World Champion.
The World Ninja League also traversed new waters with the Premier Series, a competition series for only the top 25% of Tier 1 Athletes. The Premier Series also introduced the new Challenge Course, a format which is now available in our Season IX Qualifiers!
The Premier Series provided us with some of the most insane saves, craziest obstacles and intense competition we’ve seen yet. We can’t wait to see what happens in the next one!
Pictured: Becca Margulies, Jadyn Welch
Pictured: Michael Johnson
There were many athletes, coaches and course designers who delivered amazing competitions and moments this year, but a few did so well that they earned awards!
Michael Johnson earned the award for Coach of the Year for the community he’s grown and supported, as well as turning those community members into high-level athletes!
The team over at Life Force Ninja won the award for Best Course Design for their amazing course during the Season VIII Northwest Regional! Congratulations to all of our award winners!
Oliver Luttman takes on the “Kevin’s VCR” obstacle at the Motus Premier Series event.
As the competitors get better and better each year, it only makes sense that new obstacles must be created to challenge them. This year provided some of the most technically challenging moves of all!
Many of our toughest obstacles arose during the Premier Series. From Kevin’s VCR at Motus, to the Cane Slider at Motive to the Superman Move on Ferox’s Finals course, we loved all the tricky obstacles this year and can’t wait to see how the sport continues to evolve on the course in the future!
Many of our athletes are now receiving Athlete Spotlights on our official WNL Instagram, but the appreciation for our talented Ninjas doesn’t stop there!
Tyler Smith’s historic Stage 3 run went viral on our recently launched TikTok page, amassing a whopping 30.6 million views!
Congratulations to all of our athletes for their amazing accomplishments in 2023! We can’t wait to see how you raise the bar once again in 2024! Happy New Year!
The premier obstacle league.