Sandy Zimmerman made history on American Ninja Warrior when she became the first mother to ever complete the course. The 42-year-old also became the oldest to accomplish the feat.
Zimmerman, a mother of three, is a physical education teacher in Spokane, Washington. She was excited to compete in the Seattle qualifier because it was being held in the Tacoma Dome, where 30 years ago she won a national title in Judo.
Zimmerman was also excited to represent the nation’s mothers, saying “I wanna hit that buzzer for all of the moms out there, not just for me, but I feel like it’s a ‘we.’ We so often put everything for us on the back burner.”
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Only 9 other female contestants have ever completed the course, and all of them were much younger than Zimmerman. But thanks to her determination and training, Zimmerman successfully completed the course and hit the buzzer.
Fans across the country were inspired by her success. One emotional viewer tweeted, “Sandy Zimmerman’s run…I’m not crying…you’re crying…” While another tweeted, “Sandy Zimmerman is my HERO, right now!!!!”
Zimmerman will have another chance to make history when she competes again in the upcoming city finals.
American Ninja Warrior airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
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