In a historic night on ‘American Ninja Warrior,’ Denton firefighter is first amputee to go to semifinals

However, it required Weiland, who’s 42 and missing his left leg, to complete it; otherwise, his opponent would advance for reaching the obstacle first.

This portion of the obstacle course appeared difficult. Called the “flying shelves,” it required Weiland to leap a few feet forward and grab a disc platform and hold his body aloft above the water with his hands. He had to repeat the process four times, leaping from platform to platform until he reached the other side.

Weiland had been working on strength training ever since his left leg was amputated due to complications from a knee-replacement surgery in 2018. He was determined to show his children that they can adapt and overcome. He spent a couple of years in the Ninja Warrior minor leagues until he took his shot at the majors in 2022. Similar to his opponent, he failed the rolling log obstacle course and found himself in the water last year at the American Ninja Warrior competition.

This year, Weiland was determined not to repeat the same mistake in the head-to-head race for the 12th spot in the semifinals that aired Monday night on NBC.

“It was stressful and a lot on the line,” Weiland says. “Once I saw he fell, I took my time and landed those grips.”

Each leap that he took, Weiland landed the grip and waited a few seconds, staying focused and swinging his body while his fallen opponent and audience members as well as family and friends cheered him on.

After he fell in the water at the March 2022 competition, Weiland was determined not to go out that way and decided to compete again this year.

“Being a firefighter, I get to work out at work and have to stay fit on my upper body,” Weiland said. “I did a lot of work on flare lines and walking PVC pipes. I really tried to focus on balance and staying on top of the log. I got that fighting spirit.”

That fighting spirit is something he shares with people all over the country. It’s in his motto: Adapt and overcome. It’s a motto that led him to American Ninja Warrior, multiple U.S. para-athlete teams and motivational speaking.

It’s a message he shares in a children’s book series he has written about a “hero who’s not too different from himself,” as Weiland pointed out in his summary of the first book, Fischer’s Accident, about a firefighter who loses his leg and has to adapt and overcome it.

“You can get your mind through anything as long as you put your mind to it,” Weiland says.

Weiland put his mind to doing it when he faced the rolling log obstacle, which determined if he would advance to the head-to-head race later in Monday’s episode. He had already made it past two obstacles.

But on the third obstacle, Weiland slipped and caught himself before he fell into the water. He found himself hanging from the log again, just like in 2022.

Only this time, Weiland managed to pull himself up and clear the obstacle course.

When the time for the head-to-head race was upon him, Weiland was facing off against a much younger opponent.

“This guy is 26 and he is Army, and I’m 43 and on one leg,” Weiland said. “My technique is different from his, and he is stud. It is a race of whoever gets through it faster, and if someone falls, the other person has to complete that obstacle in order to win.”

A few seconds later, Weiland’s technique worked. He completed the flying shelves obstacle and advanced to the semifinals, where he will be competing for a spot in the American Ninja Warrior finals in Las Vegas later this year.

“Gary Weiland is on fire!” one of the announcers for American Ninja Warrior announced after Weiland crossed the finish line Monday evening.

“Yes, history has just been made!” announced the other one.

Adapt and overcome, as Weiland would say.