Tyler Gillett is off and running for his third season of American Ninja Warrior. He ranked first in the Atlanta Qualifiers and put up a good fight against Drew Drechsel on the Power Tower. He didn’t end up with the Speed Pass, but he locked in his spot at the National Finals regardless when he completed the City Finals course.
That was Tyler’s first City Finals finish. In his two previous seasons on the show, he’s made it to Stage Two of the National Finals, and he looks poised to do it again.
You can watch Tyler’s run above. Below, learn more about what the City Finals finish meant to Tyler and what he plans to do in Vegas.
“City Finals was ... It was three years in the making, because I know how tough it is to be able to complete one of those courses. Only a select few people are able to do that in the past few years, and it was one of my big goals going into the season, was to be able to get a City Finals finisher’s patch.
So, I’m very focused. I take my time but not go too slow, try to find that happy medium, and give it all I’ve got. And it clicked. It worked. So, it was a great feeling. I’ve been dreaming of that moment for a while, and I hope that it propels me to, hopefully, do good in Vegas.”
“This was the first time that I hit a buzzer and knew I’m going (to Vegas) no matter what. The last two years, it’s always kind of a waiting game. You know, you get to the obstacle and you fall in it, and you’re, like, ‘Well, still got a few runners left.’ We don’t know if I went far enough fast enough. You have to kind of sit and wait. So, hearing that buzzer guaranteeing that spot is a nice little reassurance.”
“I think there’s always nerves. I think if you don’t have any at all, then there’s a little bit of a problem. But, not as much as in the past few years. Like, I’ve been able to keep it under control, and use it as fuel and almost excitement.
I expect to go out there and have the best year of my Ninja career, and to try my best. It’s really hard, because in this sport, if you make one small mistake, that’s it. It doesn’t matter how strong you are. One mental error. I’m expecting myself to go out there in the best mindset possible and be able to think about things clearly, while being able to run the course.
And really be able to focus in ways that I have lacked in the past, because I think that’s kind of the make or break when it comes to achieving total victory. Not just the strength, but having the mental focus while you’re out there, knowing what you’re doing when you’re doing it, because that’s what can throw you off.”