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While American Ninja Warrior‘s seventh season has just gotten underway, Ninja Warrior UK is preparing to wrap up its highly-entertaining first season. Epic semifinal performances from freerunners Katie McDonnell and Timothy Shieff, made for the most thrilling episode yet of the popular obstacle racing competition.

KATIE MCDONNELL: IRON GRIP

McDonnell’s success on NWUK is made all the more impressive by the fact that she’s a rookie to the competition. Her semifinal run on 5 minutes 3 seconds will go down in Ninja Warrior history for the mind-boggling recovery she made on the arm rings obstacle.

While she’s a ninja newbie, McDonnell is no stranger to death-defying daredevilry. Her various YouTube videos documenting freerunning excursions with boyfriend Erik Mukhametshin are every bit as mesmerizing as her appearances on NWUK.

Flippin’ incredible!

TIMOTHY SHIEFF: LIVEWIRE

Shieff, also known as “Livewire,” is a legendary figure in obstacle racing lore. He competed on American Ninja Warrior in 2011 and 2012 and helped lead Team Europe to a surprise victory in last year’s “USA vs the World” special episode on ANW. Racing last in the NWUK semifinals, he completed the course in a record
time of 2 minutes 32 seconds.

Shieff’s freerunning videos on YouTube are among the most viewed in the genre. Keep your eyes peeled for a brief cameo by McDonnell in his 2014 showreel.