Gary Weiland is returning to American Ninja Warrior Season 14 with more strength and determination than ever. The inspirational amputee (who lost his left leg in 2018) made his Ninja debut on Season 14, making it through two obstacles before falling off course at The Log Runner after a serious fight. Now, in this EXCLUSIVE preview clip of the Monday, June 12 episode of American Ninja Warrior, Gary gives his all — and makes it through The Log Runner!
As seen in the above clip, the energy from the audience and from Gary’s family is phenomenal. He has his one teenage son, Alex, watching him live, while Gary’s wife and three other kids watch his progress from home. As soon as the buzzer goes off, Gary leaps without hesitation onto a pole in the first obstacle, which uses his weight to carry him over the pool of water below and onto a safe platform.
Next, he utilizes a combination of his body weight and strategy to maneuver himself through a roller coaster/monkey bars hybrid. Once again, he glides through the obstacle as the crowd and enthusiastic hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila cheer him along.
Finally, the time for Gary to face his previous demise — The Log Runner — came. He approaches the obstacle slowly, clearly thinking about his next move through. He jumps into action and moves across the first two beams, but trips on the third, which leaves his body straddling the third and fourth beams. Gary looks nervous, but he takes several moments to strategize and get himself ready for this final leap. After two minutes of holding on for dear life and plotting his next move, Gary makes the jump to the fourth and final beam and into safety!
The crowd erupts in deafening cheer, and Akbar gets so excited he knocks over a chair trying to get out of his stand. “The greatest save we’ve ever seen!” Matt declares. “The man on one leg gets through the balance obstacle. A historic performance at Ninja Warrior!”
After some celebration and deep breaths, Gary looks just as determined to make it through the fourth obstacle: A super wide monkey bar setup that dares him to swing his body weight to grasp onto the next part. Unfortunately, that was the end of Gary’s run on Season 15 of American Ninja Warrior. Perhaps he can redeem himself once again next year. Regardless, his effort and success on the Log Runner is valient and awe-striking.
Gary had his left leg amputated in 2018 following rare complications from partial knee replacement. He was told he could no longer be a firefighter, but that wasn’t going to work for him. After 10 months and 6 days of hard work and determination, Gary was back on the job without restrictions. He appeared on American Ninja Warrior to see what else he could accomplish.