Najee Richardson

**Najee Richardson**, nicknamed "**The Phoenix**", is a fitness coach and former gymnast from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

## American Ninja Warrior

#### American Ninja Warrior 7

Najee first competed in Pittsburgh in American Ninja Warrior 7. His run was cut, but he was one of the many athletes that failed Snake Crossing in qualifying.

#### American Ninja Warrior 8

In his second year of competing on American Ninja Warrior he competed in his hometown of Philadelphia in American Ninja Warrior 8. In Philadelphia Qualifying, he cleared the course with the 5th fastest time and moved onto the city finals.

In the city finals, Najee failed the Stair Hopper but he placed 6th overall in the top 15 and advanced to the Vegas finals. In the national finals, Najee finished Stage 1 with 8.01 seconds remaining. On the second stage, he cleared the Giant Ring Swing but he failed the all new Down Up Salmon Ladder.

#### American Ninja Warrior 9

Najee returned to compete in American Ninja Warrior 9 where he completed the Cleveland Qualifying course placing 6th. In the city finals, Najee tried an unorthodox technique on the Nail Clipper which ultimately caused him to fail. However, he still placed 13th overall punching his ticket to the National finals. In Vegas Najee cleared Stage 1 with 27.21 seconds left. He is one of 3 competitors to clear Stage 2, finishing with 20.29 seconds remaining.

On stage 3, though he managed to get revenge on the Nail Clipper, he fell on the Ultimate Cliffhanger on Stage 3 (though he completed it during All Stars Special 2 but in a team-relay race), becoming the only person this season to fail to complete city finals but also make it to Stage Three.

Richardson had revealed on local news that he ran the course and nearly suffered a mild asthma attack after his stage 2 run. Because of this, he openly expressed about his medical condition, which resulted in him becoming an ambassador for the American Lung Association.

#### American Ninja Warrior 10

Najee Richardson had returned to compete in his hometown in Philadelphia for American Ninja Warrior 10. He was shown to have cramps in his legs during his run, but was able to battle through them and even go as far as scaling the Mega Wall, winning $10,000 and becoming the 6th competitor to successfully do so. He ended off placing the sixth fastest time in qualifying.

In the city finals, Najee finished the entire city finals course, placing 2nd overall. This is his first city finals buzzer in his career.

In the national finals, Najee finished Stage 1 with 22.14 seconds left on the clock. He once again defeated Wingnut Alley, becoming one of three yet again to do so. Unfortunately he timed out on the Water Walls on Stage 2. In a post-run interview, he mentioned that he had to use up time on the obstacle for the safety of his asthma.

#### American Ninja Warrior 11

Najee returned to compete in Baltimore for American Ninja Warrior 11. He made through most of the qualifying course with ease, despite a close call on the Hazard Cones. He was trying to make it up the Mega Wall for the second year in a row. But possibly due to the cold conditions making the Mega Wall very slippery, he surprisingly failed all of his 3 attempts and ultimately failed the qualifying course for the first time since his debut in ANW 7. He still placed 11th overall at the end of the night.

In the city finals, he was one of many who failed the unbeatable Angry Birds. Despite his fast time, he had been beaten by Lucas Reale by two-hundredths of a second, so he placed 3rd overall and once again missed out on attempting the Power Tower.

In Vegas he shockingly fell on Tire Run after a bad transition from the spinning tire to the second steering wheel. This marked his first time failing Stage 1.

#### American Ninja Warrior 12

Najee returned in for American Ninja Warrior 12 with a more confident demeanor as he sailed through the third night of qualifying course to put up the 7th fastest time. In the second night of the Semi-Finals his asthma affected his performance, slowing him down greatly. He was still able to finish the course with the 6th fastest time, but before attempting the Spider Trap he took a hit of his inhaler. In the finals Najee improved his pace and finished the course with the 4th fastest time. In the first match up of the Power Tower Playoffs he faced Austin Gray and was ultimately defeated by him, ending his season.

#### American Ninja Warrior 14

Najee originally got the call for American Ninja Warrior 13, but he unfortunately had to withdraw, due to recovering from a dislocated knee cap. He came back for ANW 14 in the second qualifying episode. There, he once again cleared the course with no trouble, despite once again missing the Mega Wall. He placed 11th overall, having been the slowest finisher that round. He later competed in the first semifinals episode. There he ended up being one of five competitors that round who failed the eighth obstacle, going out on Ghost Town. He placed 10th overall, advancing him back to the national finals. Unfortunately he tested positive for COVID-19 and he was forced to withdraw from competing at the national finals. He was replaced by Jackson Erdos.