The “ American Ninja Warrior ” announcers never tire of saying it: Kai Beckstrand , a teenager from St. George, Utah, is one of the most formidable competitors on the show.

So far, throughout his Season 17 runs, the 19-year-old has been called “the ninja to beat” and “the fastest ninja on the planet.”

He’s a favorite to win it all, and Monday night continued to make a strong case for that outcome.

Kai Beckstrand dominates in first round of ‘ANW’ finals

Sixty ninjas — including Kai and his younger brother, Luke — are competing in the Season 17 finals, which started Aug. 4 and continued Monday night.

In a new format, the show divided the 60 competitors into groups of four based on their runtimes. Ninjas in each group have to face off against each other in a series of one-on-one ra

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