Two ninjas who are not only good friends but also business partners: Chris Harmat and Dominique Karlin. The two Swiss will compete in the fourth preliminary round show of Ninja Warrior Allstars on Sunday (8:15 p.m. on RTL, RTL + and in the sport.de live ticker).
Dominique made his debut in Germany in 2021, Chris, winner of Ninja Warrior Hungary, has been there continuously since 2017. Together, the two opened the ninja and parkour hall “Overground” in Basel. In the exclusive sport.de-Interview, the two give insights into the planning of their hall, their personal work-training balance and reveal who would have the edge in a direct duel between the two.
Chris and Dominique, what are your personal goals for this year’s Allstars relay?
Dominique Karlin: Basically you always have the final in mind, that was my goal.
Chris Harmat: I wasn’t able to prepare very well. That’s why I knew it would be difficult to take the win with you. But I wished that one of us would take the 5,000 euros for the best time in the preliminary round.
The Allstars relay impresses with the duel format. Would you like to compete against each other in a show? Who would have the edge?
Dominic: I would definitely not like to do that. I’m not the competitive type, even though I’m in Ninja Warrior. I think it’s very dependent on the obstacles. If it’s balance obstacles then Chris would be better, if it’s me overhanging.
Chris: I’m pretty competitive. If so, I would face Dominique in an ultimate final at the Allstars.
What kind of obstacles do you both face? What do you still have to work on?
Dominic: I personally like Hangel elements. I definitely have to work on my endurance. That would be especially important for the final.
Chris: I like obstacles that are easy to connect and where you can save time. Endurance is also my shortcoming.
Chris, you’ve already been the overall World Cup winner in parkour and No. 1 in the world in the speed category. In Ninja Warrior you made it to the finals in 2018 and 2020, but so far you haven’t made it into the top places. Even if they are two different sports: Why hasn’t it been enough for you at NWG to make it big?
Chris: First and foremost, Ninja Warrior Germany is a lot of fun for me. The thrill above the water pools is something very special. You can’t try that in any hall. That’s why I’m always really happy to be there. But I would just have to train for it at full throttle and shut out everything else in my life to have a chance of winning. At Ninja Warrior Hungary I already proved that I can get to the mount.
You have been running the ninja hall “Overground” in Basel since 2021. How did you come up with the idea? How did you actually meet?
Dominic: The idea originally came from Chris. He wanted to open a parkour hall with his friend Maurice Ndotoni. But then the two came across Fabian Kägi, who wanted to build a portable ninja warrior course.
Chris: I agree. It was important to Fabian to make sport accessible to everyone. We then combined our ideas. And I met Dominique during an interview about Ninja Warrior Switzerland for a newspaper here in Basel. Then I asked him directly if he wanted to take part.
Dominique, you are also a carpenter. Did you do a lot in the hall yourself?
Dominic: Yes. We all did a lot, but from a structural point of view I played a big part – especially in planning and coordination, but also in the construction itself.
Chris: Dominique built a lot himself. He was able to pass on his know-how as a carpenter to us very well. We all took part in a quarter of a carpentry apprenticeship.
How did you decide which obstacles should go into the hall? Have you asked other athletes what is important to them?
Chris: We have considered what is currently in demand. Parkour and Ninja Warrior became the main area. Then came the “chasetag” for playing catch, the jumping surface for the acrobatic elements and the trampoline. The area for the “Street Workout” has become extremely large and then some “Slackline”.
To what extent did your own preferences flow into the planning of the hall during training?
Dominic: We pushed through all of our preferences. Of course, we also considered that not all customers will be so sporty. Accordingly, we had to plan everything in such a way that a lot of people could actually do it. Nevertheless, we have always included obstacles that we personally enjoy a lot, for example a campus board from climbing.
Chris: I have played all seven sports that are represented in our hall in the past. It’s just everything under one roof, which I like to do.
To what extent did you test the elements in the hall yourself before the first guests came?
Chris: We tested it ourselves, especially during the construction phase. We didn’t have many mats back then, but we were able to carry out the tests in a safe environment.
What were your biggest worries? How is it going?
Dominic: We feared that we misjudged our target audience. What are people really capable of? For example, being able to do a pull-up is a prerequisite for many elements. Thanks to our trainers, we are currently seeing that even difficult obstacles can be broken down into small exercises that are then put together.
Chris: We have a very special form of our “Ninja Truss”, which we hung on the ceiling – a world first. As a result, we have regularly checked our screws and still do so. The hall is currently doing very well, a lot of people are coming and we have more courses than we thought. We are looking forward to a summer full of kids camps and to some ninjas who always support us.
In your opinion, which elements are particularly suitable for ninja newcomers?
Dominic: Every coach claims something different. I think the five jumps, wall, pick-up sticks, monkey bars, balance roller and doors are entry level elements. You don’t have to do a pull-up either.
Chris: The hanging carrier is also easily feasible. We built a help pole for this. And the Fly Wheel, the swing from bar to bar and the Flying Squirrel.
Does your own training suffer when you are the operator of a ninja hall and have to take care of the business, or does it suit you that hobby and job are so close together?
Dominic: The training definitely suffers. But that’s also because I continued to work a lot in construction. I also built the showers and changing rooms. The others gave up the business. I had very little time for training. After such a long day in the gym, I like to go bouldering or play beach volleyball.
Chris: The training is not so important. We simply enjoy the sporting variety that our location offers us here.
Many well-known ninja faces were already with you in the hall. What feedback were you particularly looking forward to?
Dominic: I didn’t have a clear preference, I was curious about all of them. The feedback from the finalists is of course exciting, but it was also important to us what weaker athletes say and we wanted to build on that.
Chris: I was curious about the opinions of Benni, Arleen, Oli and Sladi. So far the feedback has been terrific, even USA standards would fit here. That makes us very proud.
What are your goals for the future?
Dominic: A hall entails a lot of administrative tasks that none of us knew before. I wish for a perfect structure for a smooth process. My wish for Ninja Warrior is a year where I can focus more on the show and my training schedule to show my potential.
Chris: I see it the same way with the hall. I would also like to keep bringing new obstacles in here and see happy faces. Maybe we want to open a second hall at some point. In Hungary I tasted blood and I know how it feels to be on the rope. I would very much like to get through Final Stage 1 – then with more training and full focus.
The interviewer was Lionard Tampier