‘American Ninja Warrior’: How Kai Beckstrand, Brian Beckstrand made history

At one level, as 15-year-old Kai Beckstrand was breezing by the “American Ninja Warrior” impediment course that even skilled athletes and longtime opponents on the present battle to finish, an announcer shouted: “He’s making this course appear to be baby’s play!”

And for Kai, who has been coaching for the present since he was 7, maneuvering by the 40-plus impediment programs his dad engineered and constructed of their St. George, Utah, yard over time, perhaps it was.

{The teenager} ran your complete course in 1:38:83 — beating the quickest time of the evening by 15 seconds.

“It feels superb, simply even to be right here,” stated a barely out-of-breath Kai after working up the 14.5-foot Warped Wall and hitting the buzzer. “However to get the quickest time, that’s insane.”

Earlier than this season, the minimal age requirement to use for the present was 19. However this 12 months, with eyes on promising younger opponents like Kai, “American Ninja Warrior” lowered the requirement to fifteen, in response to the web site American Ninja Warrior Nation (it must be famous that the second-fastest time of the evening got here from 15-year-old Cal Plohoros).

However Kai’s run on the present did greater than safe the quickest time of the evening and clinch a spot within the semifinals, which start July 19. It additionally made “American Ninja Warrior” historical past.

The highschool sophomore’s profitable run got here proper after his father, 42-year-old Brian Beckstrand, accomplished the course with a time of three:23:67. That makes the Beckstrands the primary father-son duo to ever hit the buzzer on “American Ninja Warrior” within the present’s 13 seasons.

Each are headed to the following spherical of the competitors.

The Beckstrands have a reasonably in depth historical past with “American Ninja Warrior.”

Kai Beckstrand received Season 1 of “American Ninja Warrior Junior” in 2019, and completed fourth on the present’s second season. Each of his dad and mom have additionally beforehand competed on “American Ninja Warrior.”

Elizabeth Morris, NBC

Now, Kai and his dad are competing in opposition to one another. However each are rooting for one another to make it to the finals in Las Vegas — though not with out their fair proportion of lighthearted trash speak.

“If I beat you on the course, we would have to speak about some extra chores and duties round the home,” Brian Beckstrand stated ahead of their appearance on the show earlier this week.

“It’s a superb factor I don’t have to fret about that,” Kai responded.

Be aware: The semifinal spherical of “American Ninja Warrior,” which options the highest 30 to 35 opponents from every of the 5 qualifying rounds, begins July 19 and can air on NBC.