Isaiah Thomas dominated night one of the Qualifiers while on an injured ankle

Well, we think it’s safe to say that the teen Ninjas made a pretty great first impression. On night one of the American Ninja Warrior Qualifiers, the top two positions on the leaderboard when to the younger competitors.

The top spot went to a 15-year-old phenom, Isaiah Thomas. He was not only the fastest finisher but the only one who also attempted the Mega Wall, which added seconds to his overall time.

And guess what? That was while he was injured.

We asked Isaiah about his least favorite obstacle on the course after his run. Instead of talking about balance or upper-body strength, he laughed and let us in on a little-known fact.

“My least favorite obstacle was probably my ankle injury. Every other obstacle was very fun. I had a sprained ankle. I sprained it a week before the show. No pain. No gain.”

That “no pain, no gain” attitude permeates every aspect of the young athlete’s approach to competition.

“Let’s get it! It has to be done. I trained for this and it shows. My determination to train every single day will get me past this course. I’m very nervous, but I know as soon as I start, it’s going to go away and translate into good energy.”

With that strong start, Isaiah moves into the Semifinals with a wave of momentum behind him. During the filming of season 13, there was a small amount of time between the Qualifiers and the Semifinals, giving Isaiah a chance to rest that leg.

Just imagine what this Ninja can do on a healed ankle.

I feel very blessed and I’m excited to see what everyone does. My Semifinals goal is to run my run as good as I can.