By Mallory Mattingly
Daniel Gil talked all things AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR, from the surprise courses to his pre-race prayer.
“We have no idea what the courses are going to look like until the night of competition. So all of our training, we know there’s gonna be some kind of agility steps. We know there’s gonna be a warped wall, we know there’s gonna be a salmon ladder at some point in the competition, but all the other ones in between we’re training blind,” he told Collider.
“So we’re just trying to work different muscle groups, different movements, different body positionings and techniques, and obstacles,” he continued. “And then we show up and we just say, ‘Okay, oh, that’s our course!’ We don’t get to practice it. We get one demonstration and then we go to our waiting area until it’s time to race.”
While he waits, Gil prepares by asking God for strength and courage to make it through the course, no matter the outcome.
“I’ve got a great prayer like, ‘Lord, I’ve trained hard. I know what I’m capable of,'” he revealed. “I pray for the strength to either hit a buzzer and be a great representative, a great role model for all the viewers, or help me to be a great role model in case I fall, fail, make a mistake, or things don’t go the way that I have trained for.”
Gil, who’s known as the “Kingdom Ninja,” has been competing on the show since Season 7. Now in his 10th season, he set a new personal record — his 30th buzzer.
“It was incredible to be able to hit my 30th Buzzer here as one of the veterans…To hit Buzzer No. 30 felt so satisfying,” he told NBC. “And it’s funny; you reach these certain goals and milestones, and now you’ve got new ones. Now, I want to hit 35. I want to hit 40 buzzers. I want to keep going and hit as many buzzers as I can throughout the rest of my career as an inch athlete.”
A lot of pressure goes into the competition, but Gil keeps his mind focused on his training and faith.
“Of course, I’ve trained to do well, and I want to, but even when I fall, I say, okay. That sucks. That wasn’t the plan. But guess what, anyone watching, like life doesn’t always go the way you want. So you gotta keep your head up high and say, there’s always gonna be another opportunity,” Gil told Collider.
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“There’s always going to be a next time,” he continued.”And that’s kind of one of the biggest messages I try to showcase through the show is we all face obstacles. Some are physical, some are mental, some are emotional. But when they trip us up, knock us down, or whatever. You gotta get back up.”
“…from day one, I had the mindset of ‘I’m going to work hard, I’m going to do my best, and I’m gonna trust God with the rest,'” he told NBC.
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