Najee Richardson: ‘I am very, very, very determined to get back on Stage Three’

Najee Richardson is one of those American Ninja Warriors where, after he pulls off an amazing feat, we find ourselves thinking, “Well, of COURSE. It is Najee, after all!”

Season 10 is Najee’s fourth year on the show. In season seven, his rookie year, Najee fell early in the Pittsburgh Qualifiers. Apparently, he vowed never to do that again and has been progressing by leaps and bounds every year. Season nine, we saw him as one of only three Ninjas to advance to Stage Three of the National Finals.

This year, he completed the Philadelphia Qualifying course AND beat the Mega Well. Then in the City Finals, he took home his first finishers patch from that course. That was one goal down for Najee. At the start of the season, he told us that was on his list of things to accomplish.

“Every year I strive to go farther. I haven’t hit a City Finals buzzer yet. I am very, very, very determined to get back on Stage Three. I’ve got some choice words for the Cliffhanger this year.”

To get revenge on the Stage Three Ultimate Cliffhanger, Najee had to get past Stage One first. And as we learned over those two episodes, nothing was a given.

Najee started down the track of the Double Dipper slightly uneven, which made us want to scream in terror, but he landed the transition and the dismount.

Oh, we totally noticed that he pulled off his signature stance on the dismount from Jeep Run.

Najee was one of only a handful of Ninjas to beat the 18 foot wall this season, making this one barely a hurdle.

With fast feet on the Razor Beams, he was well on pace to finish.

Najee grabbed the cargo net off Twist and Fly so high up that he didn’t need to rush the last moments at all.

This was the third consecutive time Najee has hit the buzzer on Stage One.

Now, Najee is going to need to clear Stage Two if he wants to knock a second goal off his list and return to Stage Three. We’ll find out if he pulls it off on Monday, September 10!