Meet the schoolgirl ninja who has become a viral sensation after she effortlessly beat her coach in a warrior-style obstacle race – in a video watched by 48 MILLION people.
Taylor Jo Greene, ten, took up the sport less than 18 months ago but swings from bars, pulls herself up ropes and balances on huge rubber balls like a pro.
The youngster quickly mastered obstacles like the menacing warped wall – a vertical 14ft ramp – thanks to weekly training sessions with parkour coach Austin Gray.
Talented Taylor Jo, of Denver, Colorado, USA, even showed up another instructor at her local ninja gym when he challenged her to a race and she won.
Jaw-dropping footage of the feat, filmed in November, has been watched by more than 48 MILLION people worldwide, earning her praise from masters of the sport.
Now Taylor Jo has set her sights on becoming a national champ, but has to wait nine years until she’s 19 to take part in the adult American Ninja Warrior show.
In the meantime, she’s signed up for the junior version of the contest for nine to 14-year -olds, and is waiting to hear back about whether she’s been selected to compete.
The sporty schoolgirl, who has abs of steel thanks to her training but still loves sugary snacks and McDonald’s Happy Meals, said: “I definitely feel like people are surprised.
“I’m a little girl with blond hair, blue eyes and dimples, so they aren’t really aware of what I can do.
“I really enjoy it because I can hang and swing and jump off things. Some of it is easy but other things can be really challenging.
“The mental things are the hardest for me. Sometimes I will be like, ‘I can’t do this obstacle, nuh uh,’ but then I will try and it and get it.
“I definitely want to do American Ninja Warrior when I grow up. I want to get on the show and keep doing it.”
She added: “In the video that was the first time that instructor wanted to race me. He asked to race me and I thought I would win because I have seen him train before.
“I have definitely improved since then and since the first time I did this.”
Taylor Jo has been doing gymnastics since she could walk and started doing ninja training in January 2017 aged nine.
She attended a local gym with her brothers Carter, eight, and Easton, six, and quickly got moved to an advanced class where she was the best of the bunch.
At the end of last summer she moved on to Wolf Den Ninja Training Facility, which is where the video of her impressive race win was filmed.
Since that gym closed, she has begun training privately with her regular coach, Austin, as well as doing rock climbing, bodyweight strength conditioning and gymnastics.
In the past year she has taken part in 11 ninja competitions in her state, winning over half of them and only not reaching a podium position once.
Taylor Jo’s mom, hair stylist Becca Greene, 38, said she and husband James, 37, a high school counselor believe their daughter is destined to be a champ.
The hair stylist, a former gymnast herself, said: “She has just been a little monkey since she was small.
“She is absolutely a natural. She has a way of just grabbing onto something and it just seems like her body knows what to do.
“One of the reasons she is so good is she is so coachable.
“They will say, ‘Now, while you’re upside down and floating just squeeze this area of your body a little,’ and she does it.
“It is just awesome and I feel like I know what she is capable of.
“That being said, she is always surprising us.
“We will go and there’s a really big obstacle and we’ll think she’s going to get it in a couple of classes and she’ll get it that night.”
Follow her journey on Instagram @sweetninjagirl.
