Kacy Catanzaro leaves 'American Ninja Warrior' after blazing a path for women in the sport

The 2017 American Ninja Warrior Las Vegas final was probably the last ANW event that Kacy Catanzaro will compete in. Catanzaro is leaving the sport to pursue a career in professional wrestling with the WWE.

Catanzaro said, “The WWE asked me to come and work for them, which has also been a dream of mine since I was young. Learning to be a wrestler will be challenging, but I feel like my background in gymnastics and, of course, being a ninja will definitely help me with that challenge.”

Catanzaro vaulted to stardom when she became the first woman to qualify for the finals of ANW. Since then, there has been a steady increase in female competitors thanks to her trailblazing.

Female ninja Barclay Stockett said, “She is leaving behind a ripple effect. She has inspired so many people like myself. Now we’re inspiring other people.”

Catanzaro ended up falling on the third obstacle in her last run. But despite being wet, nothing could dampen her spirits.

Before leaving, the ninja said, “I can’t imagine not being here, and it’s — I feel like I’ve been through such a big journey on the show. You know, it’s — I’ve had my ups and my downs, and you guys have been there along the way, so this has definitely been my home, and to think that, you know, I’ve inspired people to get out and do something awesome is the ultimate dream, so I definitely couldn’t ask for anything better.”

American Ninja Warrior airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Watch clips and full episodes of American Ninja Warrior free on Yahoo View.

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