Last year, Jessie Graff made history as the first woman to ever finish Stage 1 of American Ninja Warrior. But Graff isn't stopping there — she's now also the first woman to have ever completed the second stage of the obstacle course competition series.
For anyone who may not be familiar with the show, it's a competition that consists of extremely difficult obstacle courses that involve rope climbing, high jumps, and other physical challenges not for the faint of heart.
On Sunday night's episode, American Ninja Warrior: USA Versus the World, Graff had initially slipped off the steps during a portion of the competition, but Team USA Captain, Drew Drechsel, sacrificed his spot in Stage 2 so that she could compete — and she crushed it.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
It's pretty apt that Graff, who has been a stuntwoman for the last ten years, is often referred to as Wonder Woman for being just as badass as the superhero we're all in love with right now. In fact, she even worked as a stuntwoman on an unaired 2011 Wonder Woman TV pilot (in addition to working on stunts in Supergirl and The Walking Dead).
As if that weren't already an incredible feat, during season 6 of the show, Graff suffered a knee injury that she credits with having propelled her to complete the stage 1 obstacle course.
"I need a goal. I need something to focus on, put my physical energy into. I'm looking at Ninja Warrior," she told USA Today of the injury. "Without that knee injury, I never would have changed focus."
As she advances through the stage 2 obstacles, you can practically feel everyone from the crowd to the hosts and her teammates losing their mind — and for good reason. Watching her nail those challenges is truly incredible.
Read these stories next:
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT