Olentangy Liberty’s own Sydney Yee has jumped on to the American Ninja Warrior scene. Sydney, known as “The SLY Ninja” by her fans and competitors, made it all the way to the finals of this years’ competition.
At just 15 years old, Yee had years of training along with an American Ninja Warrior Jr. appearance, to prepare her for the competition. Not only was Yee one of the youngest competitors, she was also one of the smallest, listed at 5’1. However Yee tackled courses like a seasoned veteran.
“Having that junior experience where we got to be over the water on tall obstacles,” said Yee “I think really helped me with the big show where it’s the exact same thing.”
After falling on Heavy Metal in qualifiers, Sydney had to run against Sasha Moore in a runoff race. Despite being a foot smaller than Moore, Yee won. Then in the semifinals, Sydney beat out Casey Rothschild, allowing Yee’s advancement to the finals.
“It’s really, really stressful when you know that there’s a lot of people and that you’re going to be recorded for live television,” said Yee. “(But) Nobody’s gonna look down on me. The next day will always go on, and I can do better next time.”
In the finals, Yee became one of the smallest people ever to complete The Jumping Spider. Her powerful season came to a close when time ran out and she fell on The Gambler.
“It was basically just, oh, I’ve made it this far. Let’s see if I can beat this one.” said Yee. “I just went to the trampoline, punched as hard as I can, and managed to stick it. I just knew I had to keep going, even if my legs were absolutely killing me.”
Headed into season 17, Yee will be running alongside her brother, Dylan Yee. The Yee siblings have been training at MLAB Ohio, run by Ninja superstar Michelle Warnky. Dylan has had his share of experience, also competing on ANW jr in 2021.
“I feel pretty prepared, but I’m still a little nervous,” said Dylan Yee. He said his goals are “To get to hit buzzers on qualifying semis, and then get to that round of runoffs.”
They will be running in Las Vegas for season 17 qualifiers on September 29th, however the date it will be released on TV is not yet known.
“We always push each other through obstacles,” said Sydney. “We’ve been training together for seven to eight years. Getting to share this experience with my brother, I’m just looking forward to it. I think we’re gonna have a great time.”
