Vance Walker is now the youngest Ninja to clear the Mega Wall

Vance Walker, at age 16, has done what only a handful of American Ninja Warrior competitors have accomplished. He put together a $10,000 run to the top of the Mega Wall on night three of the Qualifiers.

Vance confidently joined the veterans on the leaderboard after putting together an incredibly mature run. Vance was so calm during his time on the course he was able to hear Matt and Akbar’s commentary from their host tower and actually responded to them, mid-obstacle.

“I don’t really remember much of what happened on the course. I do remember Akbar saying something to me and me responding. I just thought it was funny I was able to hear what they were saying. It helped me to stay focused, but keep having fun. Not worry about everything too much,” Vance told us after his run.

Vance is a two-time ANW Junior champion, which probably speaks to his maturity on the course. This is his first time on American Ninja Warrior, but he’s hardly a competition rookie. While we thought his run was fairly flawless, Vance was focused on improvement.

“I was a little slower than I would have liked to be, but I had my mind set on the Mega Wall and I wasn’t going for speed. I was glad I was able to achieve my goal even though it was not as high placement as I wanted to be.”

Vance placed 10th overall on the leaderboard of the top 30, meaning he’s into the Semifinals. When we asked Vance what his hopes are for the next round, his mind was still on his pace.

“I’m a little scared heading into the Semifinals. I really want that Power Tower. I’m trying to be more efficient. Hopefully, that helps me to be able to do that. My goal for Semifinals is definitely the Power Tower and hopefully, race R.J. (Roman) because he’s a good friend of mine.”

Vance has already achieved one of the coveted goals on American Ninja Warrior, and he’s aiming to hit a few more huge milestones this season.