The Ninja scene in Australia was brought to the next level with the first Youth Championships.
The Ninja Challenge League in Australia held their national championships in September and October. Every athlete had the opportunity to tackle three stages in an effort to crown a Champion in each division. Those who cleared a stage would advance to the next and remain in contention for the title.
While the adults ran on October 1st and 2nd, September 27th-29th was the time for the first Youth Championships hosted by the league.
Luke Davis won the Teen Division, nabbing the fastest times on Stages One and Two and then going the furthest the fastest on Stage Three. In the Pre-Teens Division, Jake Schlieper went the furthest on Stage Three to take the title.
Two female athletes were the overall champions for their age divisions. Casey McLaren clinched the title in the Mature Kids Division, while Matilda Vandermeer won the Kids title. On top of that, McLaren was the only athlete across all divisions to clear Stage Three.
On the Adults side of the competition, 80 athletes prepared to face Stage One. A whopping 22 athletes cleared, sending a quarter of the field onto Stage Two. Among the finishers were international Wild Card Deren Perez, 2018 NCL Champion Mat Redho and Judith Carroll, the only female finisher. Carroll’s clear allowed her to claim the Female Championship Title for herself.
Despite the large success on Stage One, only two men were able to clear Stage Two. This forced a Stage Three showdown between Zak Stolz and Saxon Johnstone. While both athletes failed in the same spot, Stolz made it there faster by six seconds, granting him the win.
The top five athletes in each division have qualified for the World Ninja League 2023 Championships. Congratulations to all those who qualified! You can find the full results of the NCL Finals here.
