American Ninja Warrior 2014 Results: Recap from USA vs. the World
Image via Holly Erickson/Pinterest
Season 6 of American Ninja Warrior finished without crowning a victor. But, luckily for fans of the spectacle, the best competitors from around the world gathered in Las Vegas on Monday night to pit America’s best against everyone else in USA vs. the World.
It was a hard-fought contest by each team, but in the end, Europe edged out the United States with a Stage 4 clash. Here’s a look at how the participants fared on Monday:
USA vs. the World: Individual ResultsParticipantTeamStage CompletedSean McCollEurope4Travis RosenUSA4Brian ArnoldUSA3Ryo MatachiJapan3Stefen GhisolfiEurope3Yusuke MorimotoJapan3Joe MoravskyUSA2Paul KasemirUSA2Vadym KuvakinEurope2Kazum AsaJapan2Elet HallUSA2Hitoshi KannoJapan1Tim ShieffEurope1Kazuma AsaJapanDNFMiska SutelaEuropeDNFShingo YamamotoJapanDNFNBC Broadcast
Joe Moravsky was the first to take the course on Monday. Known as the Ninja Weatherman, Moravsky previously made it farther than any other competitor, as he got past the floating boars in Stage 3 to become just the third American ever to reach and complete the extreme cliffhanger.
Here’s a look at Moravsky on the obstacle, via Ninja Warrior:
Here’s a look at his previous attempt at Stage 3:
Moravsky picked up right where he left off to begin Monday’s competition. Moravsky moved with authority over the pistons, through the silk slide and jumping spider, over the half pipe and up the wall. He reached the final climb on such a blazing pace, breaking the record for the fastest Stage 1 time, according to the NBC broadcast.
The Americans were certainly off to a great start, as neither Shingo Yamamoto of Japan nor Vadym Kuvakin of Europe could match the United States.
Well, the United States improved its standing shortly after, as Tim Shieff—known for his advocacy of veganism—breezed through the first stage with ease, recording a time of 1:02 and breaking Moravsky’s record set earlier in the night.
Miska Sutela of Finland was fun to watch early in the competition. He was such a big fan of Ninja Warrior, he built an extreme course of his own in his back yard. While he looked good moving through the course on Monday, he appeared overwhelmed and didn’t move fast enough to finish.
Brian Arnold ran Stage 2 for the United States, as he was looking for redemption after the last time he failed in that portion of the event. He moved through the course with ease, finishing with a strong climb up the wall, and moving on to complete the course, giving the United States an enormous lead.
Shieff followed Arnold, but didn’t have the same result. After passing the butterfly wall and climbing the rope, he couldn’t get past the metal spin and was disqualified for falling.
Travis Rosen furthered the United States’ lead, taking a page out of Arnold’s book and completing the course quickly.
Although, after a failed attempt from Japan’s Hitoshi Kanno, Europe’s Sean McColl took center stage. He completed the first sections of the course with ease, moving on to the metal spin quickly and finishing the stage fast enough to give the round to Europe and tighten the race with the Americans.
Stage 3 began with three failed attempts, including a fall from Kasemir. His inability to get well into the course brought Europe even closer to the Americans in the total standings.
What happened next was simply astonishing. After Japan’s struggles through the entire evening, Yusuke Morimoto made quick work early in the stage, moving past the floating board, through the extreme cliffhanger, past the propeller, high climb and flying bar on his way to becoming the first athlete to complete Stage 3 on American soil.
Moravsky had America’s best chance to get through the stage. His valiant effort included showing great form over the early part of the course, including the difficult floating boards and extreme cliffhanger, but the hang climb proved to be too much.
Stefano Ghisolfi further made things difficult for both the Americans and the Japanese. He breezed through the third stage, becoming the first European to do so in the process, successfully knocking Japan out of the competition and taking the lead over the United States.
McColl was next up for Europe and he had a chance to put the competition away by completing Stage 3. It appeared he was going to do so; however, a late fall on the final obstacle gave the Americans new life.
All of America’s hopes rested on Arnold. He needed to complete the third stage to force a tie with Europe. He was able to get through the first obstacles quickly, moving past the floating boards and extreme cliffhanger with relative ease. He continued past the hang climb—getting farther than any American in the competition—and moved past the spider flip to finish the course in incredibly dramatic fashion.
The United States was given new life, as Arnold was the first American to complete Stage 3.
Stage 4 of Mount Midoriyama continued the drama. Travis Rosen took the course due to his history of rope climbing. He was able to climb the 70-foot obstacle in just 36 seconds. McColl took the course for Europe and climbed up the obstacle with blazing speed, defeating Rosen’s time and winning the tournament.
The drama of American Ninja Warrior was incredibly high from the moment the first contestant entered Stage 1 all the way through the thrilling conclusion of Stage 4. The intensity displayed on Monday shows why this sport is quickly gaining popularity.
Next up for the American participants is Season 7 of the popular show. Rest assured, after the close battle with Europe on Monday, they’ll be chomping at the bit to get back into action once again.
