David Wright shares the three runs that represent his Ninja career so far

Last week, we asked the community to share which three runs they would say defined an American Ninja Warrior competitor’s career to this point. It was an open-ended question. Pick a favorite Ninja and pick three runs that really showcase who they are as an athlete.

We also asked the Ninjas to pick their own three runs. David Wright, known as the Cake Ninja, chimed in on Instagram with his thoughts on his two seasons.

“OKC Finals Season 11, Vegas Stage 1 season 11, and Season 12 Semifinals.”

Okay then. Let’s dive into this!

Here are David Wright’s three career-defining American Ninja Warrior runs.

Season 11 - Oklahoma City Finals

Unfortunately, we can’t find a video of this run. After making a stellar rookie debut by completing the Qualifying course with a top time, David proved himself once again in the City Finals. David again completed the challenging course, becoming one of only five Ninjas to do so.

David’s performances in Oklahoma City were a statement. At just 19-years-old, he was coming in at the top of the game, more than capable of handling the courses and ranking amongst the top competitors. Don’t let the silly cake bit fool you, he’s a serious Ninja.

Season 11 - National Finals Stage One

However, the end of David’s first season brought a dose of realism to his experience. The course will get everyone eventually. After an unsure landing on the big tire of Tire Run, it rolled back, and then forward as David attempted to correct the momentum. This left him scrambling to grab the next handle, which slipped out of his hand, ending his season.

David walked away from his rookie year with a lot of success, and a lot of experience and lessons to grow from as he prepared for his next shot at the course.

Season 12 - Semifinals

Season 12 threw a wrench in everyone’s idea of what the season would bring, but the new format fit David just fine. In the Qualifiers, David used his energy and experience to cheer both of his two teammates, Amir Malik and Alex Carson, through to the Semifinals. In fact, they were the only “Ninja group” from the season to have all three members hit a Qualifying buzzer.

Once again, we don’t have an official video of David’s Semifinals run. He made it to the ninth obstacle, The Dungeon, before his grip gave out. The run still put him through to the Finals, so it intrigued us that David picked this run as one of his career-defining moments. It was neither the start nor end of his season, so what made it so special to him?

The caption David left on his Instagram post about the run hints that there was more going on here than meets the eye.

“Wish I could tell y’all about how it felt to finish the course. But I didn’t. And if I told you why it would just seem like an excuse to myself. So I won’t say anything except I’m honored that I get to move on to Finals. See y’all in a week.”

David’s season did end a week later when he fell on the Falling Shelves in the Finals.

David has confirmed that he’ll be back for season 13 of American Ninja Warrior. We’ll be keeping a close eye on his year. We have a feeling he’ll have more career-defining runs.