Shuvrajit Das Biswas
‘American Ninja Warrior‘ or ‘ANW’ is a sports entertainment competition, which is based on the Japanese original, titled ‘Sasuke.’ The show sees hundreds of participants from all across America, competing in a series of obstacle courses, whose difficulties keep increasing. Through a process of elimination, they hope to reach the national finals at the Las Vegas Strip, thus claiming the crown of ‘American Ninja Warrior’ for the season.
The nature of the competition is so harsh that there have only been three winners to date, and of that, just two have won the cash prize. ‘American Ninja Warrior’ is not as much about the victory, but about a celebration of an indomitable spirit in the face of challenges. That said, people do want to know who the winners are, especially since Season 11 has had a clear victor. So, who won ‘ANW’ in the last season?
American Ninja Warrior Season 11 Winner:
The finale of Season 11 had 21 competitors to cheer for, but the competition remained just as challenging. By the time the contestants reached Stage 3, five were taken out by the Ultimate Cliffhanger, and three were eliminated in the Pipe Dream round. Daniel Gil and Drew Drechsel were the last two participants, going neck to neck for the impressive 75-foot rope climb to reach the top of the final tower. For a moment, it seemed that Gil would win, but his gas tank ran empty, his ascent slowed, and sometime later, he tapped out. Drew finished the climb, making it to the top to be declared as the winner of ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Season 11.
Even after achieving victory, Drew expressed an interest and hunger, which is so common in winners at life. He stated, “That word ‘perfect’ is something that I will forever strive for and never achieve.” Drew’s movements might have looked flawlessly smooth to the trained or untrained eye, but he noted that there’s always a way to be faster, more fluid, and have increased efficiency. Perhaps, that is why Drew viewed his victory as a stepping stone, deciding to make history on the show by winning ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Season 12 as well. He stated, “I’d like to be the first one to win two times back to back.”
Well, it seems like the dream run for Drew may be over, because as things stand, ‘American Ninja Warrior’ and NBCUniversal have cut all ties with the former winner. The move has come in light of the child-sex charges against Drew, for which he will face trial.
For fans of the show they are bound to remember the ‘Real Life Ninja’ who’d been a staple in the competition since Season 3. Drew’s words of advice to his fans should continue to inspire them, even if his actions that have come to light have been quite shocking. Drechsel noted, “In my nine years of doing ‘Ninja,’ I’ve never heard a single person say they are disappointed with someone else because of how they did. You can’t have that mentality of letting people down, because that’s just going to hold you back.” Perhaps, embodying this mindset, and putting in the effort, helped Drew emerge as a victor in the grueling competition.
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