DARLINGTON strongman Jack Gooch (25) defied death twice as a teenager and now against all odds he is set to attempt what no one in Australia has ever done before.
Gooch will take on the toughest obstacle course in the world with the ultimate goal to conquer Mount Midoriyama in the grand final of Ninja Warrior.
It took seven seasons in the USA before Mount Midoriyama was conquered and it remains unconquered in the UK. Gooch said the infamous last obstacle, a 22m rope hanging from the ceiling, was the least of his worries in the final.
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READ NOW“Mt Midoriyama is actually super easy to train for because you literally just practice climbing up a rope,” he said.
“But it’s the other obstacles that are much more difficult to prepare for.”
Gooch suffered a heart attack at the age of 19 and just months after he was released from hospital he survived an horrific car crash on the Great Eastern Highway Bypass.
Gooch, a personal trainer at Strength and Motion Academy in Midvale, said the opportunity to compete on Ninja Warrior was a childhood dream.
“The reaction from locals has been fantastic and I’ve had quite a few people contact me with their own stories of horrible things that have happened to them,” he said.
“It’s humbling to hear that I have inspired them to overcome their challenges.”
Gooch said he wanted the ninja community to grow.
“It’s all about health and fun and the more people that are part of it the better,” he said.