One teen has shown the world that, against all odds, he can achieve his dreams. 18-year-old Vance Walker has proved that nothing would get in his way of realizing his aspirations.

This teenager is a remarkable one, having been born with cerebral palsy. Up until first grade, he had to wear braces to assist him in walking.

Interestingly, he had been informed he would never do sports. Despite the odds of doing regular physical therapy to manage pain, the teenager competed in the last season of American Ninja Warrior. He not only participated but also went through and won!

Vance Walker became the first person with cerebral palsy to win and only the third person in fifteen seasons to take home the $1 million prize. Speaking about his achievements, he said, “It was the greatest moment of my life.

Right there was eight years of training.” He explained that it was a dream come true for him after multiple years of training.

Vance Walker in the competition

The champion shared how, at the age of ten, he was fascinated by a guy he saw doing a backflip as one of the obstacles. The show was in its sixth season.  This was one vision and dream, and he was unwilling to let anything take him down.

He decided to put in the work that would see him through. Although sometimes hard on himself, he constantly reminded himself of his accomplishments and pats himself.

He started with going to a gym for a camp the championships had. It was an adult playground filled with all the giant obstacles. He fell in love with the imagination he would have by flying through the air.

He has received positive support from the cerebral palsy community through emails and letters. He has also influenced and inspired many children with the condition and their parents.

Since the American Ninja Warrior started, no one has ever won it twice. Vance understands this and acknowledges that he is just having fun, having won the last season. “Nobody has ever come back and won it twice. So I’m not expecting anything. I want to win it again, but I am here to enjoy it.”

Vance also advised that to overcome fear as a participant, one needs to be prepared and put in years of extensive training on replicas of those types of obstacles. The competition is open to teenagers 15 years and above. For him, he has been a competitor since he was 16.