Erin JensenUSA TODAY
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Doctors predicted that Vance Walker, born with cerebral palsy, would never walk without leg braces and that he'd never play sports. Monday, the 18-year-old became only the third contestant since “American Ninja Warrior” debuted in 2009 to win the $1 million cash prize.
"I don't even believe that I've won it yet because I dreamed of it for so long," Walker says in an exclusive interview. "I would close my eyes when I was running on the treadmill and just picture myself at the bottom of that rope climb. And it would be so real to me in those moments that I think when it actually happened it was so hard to believe."
Walker's triumph follows previous wins by Drew Drechsel in 2019 and Isaac Caldiero (2015).
As a kid, Walker couldn't accept that his life would be different because of his cerebral palsy. So he exercised and stretched until his abilities matched those of other children. “I've just gotten accustomed to having that little bit of extra work put in, and that's definitely helped me in my career now,” he says.
At 13, Walker set his sights on being an “American Ninja Warrior” champion and enrolled in online school so he could devote focus on training. Twice a winner on the entry-level “American Ninja Warrior Junior,” Walker mastered the Stage 3 obstacle course Monday, which proved his downfall two seasons ago.
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“Right when I hit the water, I just vowed that no matter the circ*mstances, I'm not going to fall in Stage 3 again,” he says. “It doesn't matter if that course is impossible; I'm still going to finish that.”
So he trained, hard enough that the obstacle course wasn’t a worry. Because he was confident in his rope-climbing skills – the fourth and final challenge – emotions came flooding in after Walker hit the Stage 3 buzzer.
“When I hit that, that was my redemption. That's what I had been working for my whole entire ninja career,” he says. “I hit that buzzer like 20 times, just got down on the floor and started bawling my eyes out. It was just the most amazing and emotional feeling that I've ever felt.”
Walker then scaled the 75-foot rope climb in 26.75 seconds, just more than a second faster than Daniel Gil, knocking him from the competition. Only two contestants who followed Walker stood between him and victory: Caleb Bergstrom couldn’t complete the challenge in the 30 seconds allowed. Next, R.J. Roman stepped up to the rope.
“That was terrifying,” Walker says. “I think the most nervous I've ever been in my life is when that last runner was on the rope, and they were the difference between me and finally winning.
"I remember Ethan Bartnicki, he was right behind me, and I was shaking so hard that I literally turned around to him and I was like, ‘Yo, hold me because I'm going to pass out from being so nervous,’” Walker adds. “And he was right behind me, ready to catch me if I passed out.”
But Roman also failed to beat the clock, putting the $1 million in Walker’s hands.
“A lot was going through my mind when I realized that I had finally won,” says Walker. “Those eight years of just pain and suffering and putting myself through absolute torture to achieve this goal just all came together at once. Just knowing that it finally paid off and knowing that all that hard work was finally for something was just – I don't even know how to describe it. It was just beautiful.”
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Afterward, aboard a bus returning him to his hotel room, Post Malone’s “Congratulations” filled Walker’s headphones.
“That's always been my song,” he says, pointing out the significance of the lyrics: “They said I wouldn't be nothing, now they always say congratulations.”
“That really hits for me, because they literally said I wouldn't be able to walk, and now I'm accomplishing my dreams,” he says. “I'm doing things that only a few people have ever been able to accomplish.”
Walker plans to keep returning to “American Ninja Warrior,” “as long as the show lets me.” He’ll compete in next summer's Season 16, which taped in spring.
“I'm going to keep working,” he says. “I'm going to keep trying to be one of the best, and I know that I can win it a couple more times if I have enough chances.”
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