Kaden Lebsack reflects on becoming the youngest American Ninja Warrior ever in his exclusive uInterview: “It’s crazy!”

Lebsack, 15, won Season 13 of American Ninja Warrior last week, collecting a $100,000 prize after finishing Stage 3 of the competition.

“It was surreal. I couldn’t believe it,” he told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “I was with like my closest ninja friends, my parents, it was crazy. I still can’t believe it.”

“Growing up watching the show and now finally getting my chance to compete on it and doing well, it’s more than I could ever ask for,” he said.

Aside from being the youngest winner in the show’s history, Lebsack is also the first ever rookie to ever complete Stage 3. The teen came close to completing Stage 4, the rope climb, but missed out on the $1 million prize when he ran out of time. He said the rope climb was “the most tired I have ever been.”

According to Lebsack, winning requires you to push yourself mentally and physically. “I knew how badly I wanted this,” he said. “I just didn’t let myself let go. Just give it your all. If you have a dream you can definitely accomplish it. Work for it, push yourself to the limits.”

The young athlete, who had placed second in Season 2 of American Ninja Warrior Junior, added that he does “a lot of conditioning.” “A lot of pullups, chin ups, box jumps and sprints,” he said.

So, what does the 15-year-old want to do with his $100,000?

“I owe a couple of my ninja friends trips to Disney World,” he said, “and other than that I don’t really have a plan.”

The teen does have a plan to return to the competition, though. “I’m just trying to come back, push myself even harder, come back stronger and hopefully finish Stage 4 this time.”

“I’m definitely going to work more on rope climbs,” he said, “learn better technique, and do a lot of rope climbs for sure.”

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