Kai Beckstrand Is The ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Season 17 Champion: “The Money’s Nice, But For Me, It’s All About That Title”

After years of hard work and dedication, 19-year-old Kai Beckstrand has finally won American Ninja Warrior. As the Season 17 champion, Beckstrand prevailed over runner-up Noah Meunier and a slew of amazing ninjas—including Jessie Graff, Isabella Folsom, Isaiah Thomas, and David Bergstrom-Wright—to win the title and the $250,000 prize money. However, his most fearsome competitor was his own 15-year-old brother and training partner, Luke Beckstrand. “I was most worried about Luke on my way to the championship race,” revealed Beckstrand. After his defeat, Luke was the first person up on the platform to congratulate his big brother on his winning run. “It was a super great, super rewarding experience,” remembered Beckstrand.

Based in Utah, the Beckstrand family has long been a staple in the ninja community. When Kai Beckstrand isn’t working as a part-time firefighter, he coaches at his family’s ninja gym. His father, Brian Beckstrand, was the first to compete in the show back in Season 7. His mother, Holly, and sister, Baylee, competed alongside Kai and Luke in Season 17. With Kai Beckstrand’s victory, the family’s legacy among fellow Ninjas has been secured. “When one of us wins, we all win,” explained Beckstrand. “We put so much work into the sport, and we do it all together as a family.” Their love of Ninja—and all the sacrifice that comes along with it— is what “sets us apart from the rest,” according to Beckstrand.

In addition to practicing on ninja obstacles, Beckstrand prepared for Season 17 by lifting weights and adding muscle, both at the gym and at home. “It gives me a little bit of an edge over the rest of the competition, especially with my bigger size,” said Beckstrand. “I also built strength in my legs, which a lot of ninjas I know lack.” Beckstrand credits “cross training” and a focus on his lower body for making him quicker on the course. “Speed is so important when you’re moving between obstacles,” explained Beckstrand. “That often gets overlooked in the training process.”

Beckstrand spoke to DECIDER over Zoom to discuss his big win, why he ditched his signature blond mohawk from his American Ninja Warrior Jr. days, his plans for Season 18 and beyond.

DECIDER: Kai, first of all, congratulations! How does it feel to finally be the winner of American Ninja Warrior?

KAI BECKSTRAND: It feels so surreal. I’ve put in so much effort and countless hours of work into training to get to the level that I’m at. It’s a super rewarding feeling to see everything pay off. It was also great to share that moment with Luke, my brother and training partner, right at the end after hitting that final buzzer.

Your family has been entrenched in the Ninja community for more than a decade. What does your victory mean to the Beckstrand crew?

When one of us wins, we all win. We put so much work into the sport, and we do it all together as a family. It’s what sets us apart from the rest. I just love that I get to share this with everybody. We’re always there to cheer for each other.

Akbar said you used the prize money from the mega wall last season to build your own home gym so that you could add muscle. How much did your physical evolution contribute to your win this year?

Lifting weights is something I’ve always been passionate about. I still was going to the gym even when I didn’t have this set-up back at home. However, having the equipment at home and being able to experiment with different kinds of movements and lifts contributed to my strength in Ninja. I think that gave me a little bit of an edge over the rest of the competition, especially with my bigger size. I have a lot more pull power. I also built strength in my legs, which a lot of ninjas I know lack. It helps with ground speed when I’m sprinting from obstacle to obstacle or making those big jumps.

I predict that everyone will be working on building strength in their lower bodies before next season’s competition.

It’s crucial. Cross training definitely is one of the most overlooked workouts in my opinion. People put in a lot of work into just Ninja—which is great and all—but cross training is what helps separate me from the rest of the pack.

They don’t talk about this much on the show, but you’re a type-1 diabetic. How does that impact you in training and in competition?

I don’t let it limit me in any way. It’s just another obstacle that I have to overcome. The key is being prepared. I need to monitor my blood sugar leading up to trainings, especially before competitions. It’s vital that I make sure I’m in that ideal range and ready to compete.

I really started taking it a lot more seriously after my fall in Season 13 on Stage 2. My blood sugar was pretty high and out of whack. My vision was blurry going into that first obstacle. I was battling fatigue. I fumbled that rope a little bit and just didn’t have the strength to save it. Since then, I really cracked down on making sure I keep those numbers good.

What were your initial thoughts when you learned that they would be pivoting to a bracket style tournament for the finals instead of the traditional Stages 1-3 and Mt. Midoriyama?

When I first heard about that shift, I knew that this would be my year. I flipped my training schedule a little bit. When I had to go through three stages, endurance was at the top of my mind, in addition to speed, agility and quickness. This time around, I focused on how I could go faster. To achieve that, I focused on lower body work because I knew that was going to come into play. Speed is so important when you’re moving between obstacles. That often gets overlooked in the training process.

I’m so impressed with the stamina and mental toughness required between races. How did you stay ready?

At the end of the day, it’s not just competition. It’s a TV show as well. As soon as you’re off the course, they’re pulling you away for interviews or something else. For me, it was important to stay in a good headspace. Even though I had just won whatever race, I never got too comfortable. I prefer to stay warm rather than ever cool down. What if they pull you up for an interview right before you’re about to start your warm up and you don’t have enough time to prepare for your race? It’s best to stay ready for anything.

You had some tough races on your way to the final. Who were you the most worried about: David Bergstrom-Wright, your brother, Luke, or Isaiah Thomas?

I was most worried about Luke on my way to the championship race. He’s my brother. I know his capabilities. I’ve trained with him countless hours. We’re usually within half of a second of each other, whether he’s ahead or I’m ahead. Once I made it by him, I was feeling good, but then I had to face Isaiah.

Isaiah had some of the fastest times other than me up to that point. I knew I had to get out ahead early and get in his head. If you get someone a bit flustered, they can make a mistake. That’s what happened to him on the Salmon Ladder. Once I heard him hit the water, I knew I was in the clear. I just had to finish that obstacle and secure that win.

I was so excited to see you and Noah Meunier faceoff in the finals. What makes him such a formidable opponent?

Everyone says he’s got a Clark Kent thing going for him, and they’re right. Outside of Ninja, he looks like this ordinary guy. However, as soon as you see him on a ninja course, you get a little bit worried. Of all people I could have faced, Noah is the type of the person who could pull out a win when it mattered most.

Going into that final race, I knew my current fastest time was about 10 to 15 seconds faster than Noah’s fastest times up to that point. Despite that, I couldn’t take any chances. I just had to stay out ahead of him. I knew I had to get out to an early lead and maintain from there.

I know it’s been a minute, but what was it like to hit that final buzzer?

As soon as I hit that final buzzer, I just collapsed onto the stage right there. The first person I saw was Luke running to pick me up and celebrate. It was a super great, super rewarding experience. The best part about it is that I can call myself the Season 17 champion. The money’s nice, but for me, it’s all about that title. I want to prove that I’m not just one of the best, but that I can be the best.

It’s not about the money, but what is the first big purchase you’re going to make with your winnings?

I’ve got my job. I have enough steady income coming in right now. I’ll probably put the money into some sort of investments. I’m also getting married this October, so I definitely plan to start saving for starting a family in the future and things like that.

As someone who has been watching you since your days on ANW Jr, I must ask about your updated hairstyle. Why did you ditch the classic mohawk?

I know everyone loved the Mohawk. So did I. However, I wanted to show that I’m maturing a little bit. I’m growing up. I’ve moving on to bigger and better things in life. Though, I did bleach my hair blond for Season 17. I still like to stand out a little bit [laughs].

Applications for Season 18 are open. Do you plan on defending your title next year?

Oh, definitely. I plan on coming back on Ninja Warrior as many times as they’ll have me back.

Are you looking forward to facing off against 2x winner Vance Walker next season, if he’s healthy?

There’s no one better to prove yourself against than Vance. I mean, he’s the two-time winner of the old Stage 4 format and somebody who I’ve competed against. He’s just an absolute animal, especially when it comes to that rope climb. He’s a ball of power, pretty much. If he can rehab and get his speed back up, he’s definitely going to be a threat in the new racing format.