She started watching ‘American Ninja Warrior’ when she was 7. Now, this Utah teen is on it

The Utah contingent of “American Ninja Warrior” this season continues to expand.

Anna McArthur, a 16-year-old from St. George, is one of the latest Utah ninjas to secure a spot in the show’s semifinals, which begin July 31.

Related

• 6 Utahns have competed on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ this season (so far). Here’s how they did

• She had a baby. 6 months later she competed on ‘American Ninja Warrior’

Who is Anna McArthur on ‘American Ninja Warrior’?

McArthur was the youngest female competitor to appear in the July 17 episode of “American Ninja Warrior,” making her debut run on a challenging obstacle course that tested everything from balance to upper body strength.

The teenager, who is 5 feet tall, splashed down on the fourth obstacle, but it was enough to put her in the running for a spot in the semifinals. At the end of the episode, McArthur took part in a run-off with Rachel Beth Drake to claim the fourth spot among the female competitors (the top 12 men and top four women of each episode advance to the semifinals).

McArthur breezed through and completed the obstacle course, hitting the buzzer to join several other Utahns in the next round of the competition.

It’s likely a surreal moment for the high school student, who was 7 when she started watching the show. She would record episodes and watch them over and over again, recreating the obstacles in her home, according to a clip that aired during the episode.

“I’m gonna do this when I grow up,” her mom recalled her saying.

McArthur used to be a gymnast and violinist but gave up both to focus on “American Ninja Warrior” training at the age of 11, according to information the show sent to the Deseret News.

And now, staying true to her word, McArthur has made a successful “American Ninja Warrior” debut and is still in the running to claim the $1 million prize (something that’s only been done twice in show history — one of them being Salt Lake City’s Isaac Caldiero, the Deseret News previously reported).

Related

• Utah teen dominates on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ — and wins $10,000

• Meet the Utah teen making history on ‘American Ninja Warrior’

When she isn’t training for “American Ninja Warrior,” McArthur can be found at her family’s business, McArthur’s Temple View RV Resort in St. George. The campground has been in the family since her grandfather bought it in 1984, and she hopes to run it herself one day. She’s worked there since she was 11, helping to coordinate camp social activities and doing facility maintenance, according to information provided by the show.

Who are the other Utahns on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ this season?

There’s at least six other Utahns who have reached the semifinals of “American Ninja Warrior” this season.

That includes teenagers Kai Beckstrand and Violet Kepo’o. Beckstrand, 17, is considered a favorite to win the show this season, the Deseret News previously reported. He completed his qualifying round in a little over 54 seconds — more than 20 seconds ahead of the second-fastest time of his episode. Kepo’o, a 15-year-old “ANW” rookie, snagged the No. 3 spot among the female competitors during her episode.

Beckstrand’s father, Brian Beckstrand, is also in the semifinals this season. The Beckstrands made history when they became the first father-son duo to complete a course, hit the buzzer and advance to the semifinals during the 13th season of “ANW,” the Deseret News previously reported.

Other Utah competitors include “ANW” veteran Mady Howard, who has made it to the finals twice, rookie Josh Ferguson, a photographer based in American Fork, and Ally Tippetts Wootton, who after a few years of training and getting invited to compete, finally made her debut this season, per Deseret News.