Gunnedah’s Leah Keam has set her sights on the international stage after placing fourth at the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA) Australia Regional National Championships in Boggabri.
‘Light it up Leah’ as she is known in ninja circles, had already claimed the NSW under 13 ninja warrior champion title before heading to familiar territory at Boggabri for the national championships.
Mum, Cindy, said Leah was a little nervous after being second out in her age group.
It meant some obstacles were unseen and tricky to approach.
“Some obstacles moved fast, others needed balance and coordination all in mixed sequence,” Cindy said.
Obstacles such as ring jumps, orbit ball, rocket rings, balance beams, floating monkey bars, UFOs and the wall were some of the 14 to be completed by competitors in just six minutes.
Leah missed the podium by just one point but was still thrilled to receive an invite to the United States for the Ninja World Expo at Anaheim in July 2024.
Leah will advance up in age groups next year, meaning she will be competing in the under 15s division.
She planned to continue training throughout competitions in NSW this year and was aiming to secure another invite to America. But the youngster needed a minimum 12 months experience in the next age group which Cindy described as “extremely competitive”.
For now, Leah will continue to train at home and at Boggabri where she also will be assisting with school holiday ninja classes.
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