Viktoria Krämer is the new Last Woman Standing from Ninja Warrior Germany. The athlete has made rapid development in Germany’s strongest show.
In an exclusive interview with sport.de Krämer looks back on her achievements in this year’s season.
The winner also reveals what her training schedule looks like, how she assesses the sporting level in the show and how she evaluates her personal development.
Viktoria, congratulations on your success as the new Last Woman Standing from Ninja Warrior Germany. You first took part in the show in season six. Did you think back then that you could make it to the title in such a short time?
Victoria Krämer: Not at all. Of course, my goal was always to go far. Stefanie Edelmann was the last woman standing at the time and I knew that there was still a distance to her. I wanted to be there first, gain experience and have fun.
How do you rate your personal development at Ninja Warrior Germany?
I am very proud that I was able to continually improve. The first time I took part, I was eliminated in the preliminary round. The year after that I made it to the semi-finals and now I’ve reached the final. It would have been stupid if it had gone the other way around. I’ve eventually trained more over the years and become stronger, at least that’s what I argue for myself. In the end, it motivates me to train even more. I’m also proud that I didn’t fall on a balance obstacle this year. This is a big step forward for me.
How nervous were you before the final, in which the title was decided between you and Ada Theilken?
The tension is different than in the preliminary round. On the one hand, you have already shown that you can do something. For example, I buzzed in the preliminary round. So the pressure wasn’t so great anymore because I was already able to demonstrate my skills. I tried not to think too much about the title and the money because that can be a lot of pressure. I managed quite well to simply concentrate on my goal, i.e. completing the course.
You made it to the pole roller in the final. Many other ninjas were eliminated at this obstacle. What makes it so difficult?
For one thing, the obstacle is new to the show. I also don’t know where you can train the pole roller in Germany. Therefore, it is an obstacle that cannot be assessed very well. It also requires a lot of technique because you can’t warp the pole. This means you have to keep your hands parallel. It also requires a lot of strength and endurance because you are hanging for a long time and there are also jumps involved. The obstacle simply contains many components.
This year, many well-known ninjas were eliminated early. How do you rate the difficulty of the stages compared to the past?
From my experience I can compare the preliminary rounds because I buzzed each time. I found the difficulty increased more quickly. Last year it became steadily more difficult until the last obstacle and that was extremely endurance-intensive. This season the difficulty is ramped up right from the start.
Last year’s semi-final course was definitely easier and much more geared towards speed, as the number of finishers proves. This year the course was more difficult, especially the pole roller, which caught a lot of ninjas, including me.
What goals do you have for your future at Ninja Warrior Germany?
My goal is not to necessarily need this title again because I find it difficult to always just focus on the title. I would just like to perform even better on the stages, i.e. get further in the final than the third obstacle. It would be a dream to make it to the final through the regular rankings. I just want to outdo myself.
If Ada [Theilken] I would have gotten further this year than I would have if I wasn’t the Last Woman Standing. But that wouldn’t have changed anything about my personal performance. That’s why I always try to get away from just looking at the title. I cannot influence the performance of the other participants, only my own.
How do you assess the development in the field of participants?
The field is changing a bit. There are athletes who were no longer there. New participants are added for this purpose. Ada [Theilken] performed impressively in the semifinals (27th place, editor’s note). You can see in the ninja competitions that there are more and more strong women. The field is getting wider and wider. Next year teenagers will probably join us again. Therefore, you have to stay on the ball if you want to keep up in the long term.
What does your training schedule look like?
I try to exercise every day to stay fit. I try to incorporate ninja training as much as possible. I train at Stuntwerk Senden at least every two days. On the days in between I do strength, endurance or balance training. I try very hard to train my weaknesses because in ninja sports you usually can’t compensate for your weaknesses with your strengths. If you have a weakness, you will always fall at the corresponding obstacle.
Have you now realized what you have achieved this season?
I don’t know if I fully realized it until today. I am satisfied with my performance. It’s a very fulfilling feeling when hard work pays off. I hope everyone has this feeling once in their lives because it is also incredibly motivating. Then you know that you can do anything.
How does it feel to be the last woman standing in a row with Arleen Schüßler, Stefanie Edelmann and Andrea Meßner?
This is totally overwhelming. It is something that can never be taken away from you. This is something for eternity. I remember when I used to see Steffi on TV when I started with Ninja, it was so impressive – and now I’m on a list of winners with her.
The interview was conducted by Jannik Kube