The return of the event had a great turnout of international competitors.
In September, Ninjas from every corner of the world united to take down a new course. That’s because the Barbados Ninja Throwdown made its comeback after the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down for three years. The event’s return drew a crowd and was televised in the Caribbean.
Delano Hinds, who runs the Barbados Ninja Throwdown, joined in for an interview. He shared what it meant to bring back the Throwdown…and how it affected him.
“When the first runner got up the wall and hit the buzzer, I cried,” Hinds stated. “It felt real at that moment. We were back, you know?”
Ten countries were represented at the event. Among them were Jamaica and Trinidad, two countries with little to no Ninja experience. Yet despite the expansion of Ninja in the Caribbean, it was the Americans who took home the most golds. In fact, there were more American competitors than any other in the whole event.
“I always want this event to feel like a vacation and competition for the athletes,” Hinds said. “It’s always nice to treat the internationals the way we do and I love that it gets people to come back year after year.”
Of the 16 divisions, American athletes won 13. Jun Kim of Germany took home the title in the Adult Male division. Meanwhile, Gabriella Griffith and Isaiah Green from Barbados won the Teen Female and Young Adult Male categories, respectively.
Across all divisions, 34 athletes hit a buzzer at the Barbados Ninja Throwdown. Among them were Elite Male Champion Joseph Meissner and Adam Rayl (4th), who won the event in 2019. Melia Ochsner won the Elite Female division, advancing to the ninth obstacle.
“This was a great reintroduction to the Barbados Ninja Throwdown,” Hinds shared. “And I really look forward to bringing it back next year.”
With Ninja representatives of all ages from all corners of the world, the Barbados Ninja Throwdown gave us a taste of what Worlds could look like. In the end, 76 athletes have qualified for The World Ninja League 2023 Championships. We’ll see if these athletes’ success continues in June!
You can find the full results for the 2022 Barbados Ninja Throwdown here.
