At only 16-years-old, Door County’s Luke Filar has graced national screens after his debut on NBC’s show American Ninja Warrior. Following his run on the show’s Las Vegas course, he is training in North Carolina as he prepares to take on his biggest goal yet.

Filar started training at age 10 and has been a long-standing fan of the obstacle course-style set up. He decided to apply, and was thrilled to be accepted to compete for the show’s 17th season. Now, the soon-to-be high school junior is reflecting on his experience and using what he learned to propel his future in competitive sports.

“I was just in shock the entire time, like the whole set and everything was so much bigger than I thought it was,” said Filar, “the balance was pretty deceiving; for the logs that I fell on, they spun a lot more than I was expecting.”

Despite the tumble, Filar’s favorite part was the flywheels and overall experience. Most impressively, it helped him to prepare for his out-of-state move to take part in the US Pentathalon Residental Program, which trains the best athletes in the nation. On his bucket list? A five-event pentathlon, and eventually, taking on the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 

“The next step is get better for a pentathlon, which includes course racing now, so I get to train for Ninja and I do want to go back on the show someday,” added Filar, “after that, eventually the olympics.” 

Filar’s mom, Trisha Filar, said seeing her son dream big has been deeply rewarding, even if that means he is away from home for sometime. 

“Even though we miss him, we are really proud of Luke for being brave enough to work hard to pursue his dreams,” she said, “he is thankful to have such a supportive community behind him for his journey!”

Photo: NBC