10-year-old Ontario girl wins World Ninja League title, a Canadian first

CTV News

a day ago

Ella Crichlow-Mainguy at the World Ninja League Championships, right after winning the global title for her division. (Rachel Mainguy)
Even though Ella Crichlow-Mainguy had to go through some hoops to make it to the World Ninja Championship, the 10-year-old Ontarian cleared the obstacles to clinch a global division title.
The Acton, Ont. athlete says she first got into the sport a couple of years ago when she noticed a group training at the gym.
'I did rock climbing at Aspire Milton, and at the same gym where I did rock climbing, they had Ninja Warrior, and I just loved to watch 'American Ninja Warrior,'' Crichlow-Mainguy tells CTV News Toronto, referring to the televised show. She said once she tried it, she just couldn't stop.
For those unfamiliar with this sport, ninja tests athletes through a variety of strength-testing obstacles. There are various stages with each that need to be cleared—either by hitting the buzzer or having a fast pace—before making it to the next round.
'There are canvassing obstacles, where there are like, cliffhangers, which are little ledges that you just have to hold on to with your fingers. There are aerial obstacles, which are latches, which are where you have to throw from one bar to another,' Crichlow-Mainguy explained.
Competing
Ella Crichlow-Mainguy at the world championships. (Rachel Mainguy)
The young athlete adds that there are also obstacles that test for balance and grip strength. For the last two years, Crichlow-Mainguy would train twice a week with her team to go through these various challenges, as well as build up her endurance.
When she's not at the gym, Crichlow-Mainguy practices at the makeshift rig at her home.
'Imagine something that looks like monkey bars for adults, and then things are hanging off of it,' Rachel Mainguy, Ella's mother, explained to CTV News. 'There's all these obstacles in our backyard right now.'
Making it to the World Ninja League Championship
The World Ninja League Championship was held in Greensboro, N.C from June 19 to June 23. To make it there, Mainguy says they had to take a connecting flight to Atlanta, Ga., which was supposed to leave at around 12:15 p.m. that Thursday but when they arrived at the airport, their flight was delayed.
'We missed our connectors, so now we're in Atlanta, it's probably 11 at night, we have no way to get to Greensboro,' Mainguy recalled, noting several other people had missed their connections. 'Now Delta is telling us we have to get in a lineup of 136 people, and they'll get to us by one in the morning.'
The first event for Crichlow-Mainguy's division started Friday morning. The mother and daughter explained that they tried searching for rental cars, but none were available.
'Then, luckily, someone at the desk finds a flight that must have just populated for early in the morning and manages to get us on and Ella ends up sleeping on the airport floor on top of paper towels with her teammate,' Mainguy said.
They arrived in North Carolina with enough time for Crichlow-Mainguy to change clothes and head to the coliseum to compete.
'It was just an honour'
There were two events: the stages, which is where athletes can compete for the title of world champion in their division, and the discipline circuit.
The first stage had seven obstacles with a time limit of one minute and 15 seconds, and the second stage had eight obstacles with a time limit of two minutes and 30 seconds, according to the championship rulebook. After each stage, those who did not hit the buzzer or finish with a competitive time would be eliminated from the next round, Mainguy said.
'Around 70 (athletes) got to compete on the final course,' Ella's mom adds, a drop from around the couple hundred that started.
There was one particular obstacle in the third stage that Crichlow-Mainguy said was the most challenging part of the whole competition.
'There was this really cool obstacle, it was like a tipping L, and you have to climb to the top on these tiny little ledges with your hands and then it tipped down, and you could fall off if you didn't hold super tight,' she explained.
Ella Crichlow-Mainguy
Ella Crichlow-Mainguy competing in Stage 3 at the world championship. (Rachel Mainguy)
Through the obstacles, Crichlow-Mainguy said her thoughts turned off and all she heard was her coach's voice
'Usually, he tells me to be confident and to commit to everything,' she said. And the 10-year-old then won the championship title among the mature kids female athletes.
'It was just an honour,' she said. 'I could tell how hard (the other athletes) worked for the whole year, so it was just an honour to even be there with them.'
Crichlow-Mainguy's coach, Matt Hallak, told CTV News Toronto that not only was she the first ever world champion for their Milton, Ont.-based team, she 'cemented her name as Canada's first ever Mature Kid Female World Champion.'
Ella and her coach
Ella Crichlow-Mainguy and her coach Matt 'the Bat' Hallak. (Rachel Mainguy)
'Ella and her teammates made Canada proud and she is only just getting started…I can't wait to see what else happens for her in the upcoming season as this year she became the 2025 Canadian ninja League Champion and the 2025 World Ninja League Champion dominating in both our biggest events of the year,' Hallak said in an emailed statement.
Next year, Crichlow-Mainguy will move up a division to compete with the preteens—something she's looking forward to as the obstacles become more challenging.
'I've been watching on the sidelines, the preteens get such really cool obstacles,' she said. 'I'm just really excited to try them.'