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Brian Kretsch lives and breathes for American Ninja Warrior. He’s appeared on all 8 seasons of the show, and if that isn’t impressive enough, in season 7 he broke his leg on the Venice qualifying course.
That would be enough to put anyone’s athletic future in jeopardy. But Brian dedicated himself to rehab, came back strong and completed the Los Angeles qualifying course.
If you haven’t watch the LA City Finals yet, stop reading now.
It was physically painful to watch Brian crash on the third course obstacle in the city finals, the Escalator. The way he hit made us all worried he’d re-damaged his leg.
But it was almost more painful to watch his devastated post-run interview. We knew we had to talk to Brian. First, to find out if his leg was okay, and next to find out what his plan is from here.
“Physically, the impact didn't hurt at all, emotionally is a completely different story. Going through everything I did leading up to American Ninja Warrior 8, I had a singular focus during every waking moment for that entire year. I was going to compete again and make it back to Vegas.
Throughout the whole process, the fan support was incredible, inspiring, and motivating. I've said time after time that I wouldn't have recovered as quickly as I did if it weren't for the fans. So when the shock of hitting the water wore off, I realized that the goal of an entire year had disappeared.
I felt (and still feel) like I let down all the people who supported me and helped me get to that point, and that's what caused me to break down. It was the first time I had cried in twenty years.
I know that everyone will still be proud of what I accomplished and won't feel like I let them down, but I vowed to use all that positive energy given to me to come back stronger.
Since I couldn't deliver on that for Season 8, I've already resumed training and set my sights on Season 9. I won't give up until I reach the top of Midoriyama, and when I do it won't be my accomplishment. It will be a direct reflection of all the love and support I've received that drove me to that final buzzer.”