Sean Darling-Hammond is a former lawyer nicknamed the Giving Ninja. He has based his entire Ninja platform off of supporting nonprofit organizations, giving every dollar he has won through Ninja Warrior competitions to organizations expanding educational opportunity. On ANW, he has aimed to donate all his money to charity if he finishes Stage Four and receives the grand prize.
As of 2024, Sean is currently a community health sciences professor at the University of California, Berkley.[1] He initially lived in the eastern part of the United States before, having grew up in Washington D.C. and New York. He currently resides in California.
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
Sean first competed in Pittsburgh in American Ninja Warrior 7. His run in qualifying was cut, but he cleared the course placing 21st.
In the city finals, he failed the Doorknob Arch when he tried an early dismount but advanced to the national finals.
In Stage One, his run was cut but it was revealed that he failed the Jumping Spider.
American Ninja Warrior 8[]
Sean competed in Philadelphia in American Ninja Warrior 8. His run was cut, but he failed the Paddle Boards in qualifying, being disqualified for touching the center axis.[2] This is the first time he did not move on past the qualifying round, let alone to Vegas.
Sean evaluated personally on social media that this was the season where he didn't prepare as hard.
American Ninja Warrior 9[]
Sean returned in American Ninja Warrior 9, competing in Daytona. His run in qualifying was cut, but he cleared the course placing 11th.
In the city finals, he put up a strong run. He made it to the tenth obstacle this time. He failed the Elevator Climb, placing 3rd overall and advancing back to the national finals.
On Stage One, Sean got past the Jumping Spider and hit the buzzer finishing with 6.26 seconds left and advanced to Stage Two for the first time.
On Stage Two, Sean was one of many to fail Wingnut Alley on the transition to the second wingnut in a digested performance. This is his best performance to date.
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
Sean returned to compete in Minneapolis in American Ninja Warrior 10. His run was once again cut in qualifying, but it was revealed that he attempted the Mega Wall, but failed to complete it. He still cleared the course, finishing with the 11th fastest time.
In the city finals, his run was put in the corner to watch during a commercial break. He made good work on the course, though he eventually fell on the Iron Maiden. He placed 15th overall and moved on to Vegas.
His run on Stage One was cut but it was revealed that he failed the Jumping Spider, similar to three years ago.
American Ninja Warrior 11[]
Sean returned to complete in Seattle-Tacoma in American Ninja Warrior 11, now living in Oakland, California. His qualifying run was yet again cut, but it was revealed that he was one of many who failed the Lightning Bolts, making it just the second time in his career he slipped in qualifying. But luckily his time to that obstacle was just good enough to make the top 30, as he placed 30th overall.
In the city finals, Sean got revenge on the Lightning Bolts, which took out many competitors. However, he failed the Floating Monkey Bars, an obstacle he completed in Pittsburgh four years ago, making a premature dismount on the obstacle. However, Sean just barely placed in the Top 12, placing 12th.
On Stage One, his run was all cut, but it was revealed that he failed Twist & Fly, getting revenge on the Jumping Spider but still coming up just short of finishing Stage One.[3]
American Ninja Warrior 12[]
Sean returned to compete in American Ninja Warrior 12, with his newborn son watching on the virtual sidelines. Although his qualifying run was digested, it was shown that he fell on the fifth obstacle once again, completely peeling off on the first wheel of Ferris Wheel. He did not advance to the semi-finals.
American Ninja Warrior 14[]
Sean competed on American Ninja Warrior 14 in the fifth qualifying episode. His run was cut, but he once again failed the fifth obstacle, going out on Final Frontier and his time to the obstacle wasn't good enough for him to advance to the semifinals, ending his season in qualifiers once again.
Other Appearances[]
He also competed alongside Jamie Rahn and Rachael Goldstein as a member of the Superhero Squad on Team Ninja Warrior 2 and American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja.
Trivia[]
- It is worth noting that Sean has ranked the bottom spot on the top leaderboard three consecutive times. In ANW 10's Minneapolis finals, he placed 15th, in ANW 11's Tacoma qualifiers, he placed 30th, and during ANW 11's Tacoma finals, he placed 12th (which was the bottom spot due to the semifinal rules changing on American Ninja Warrior 11).
- He considers his mentality to be his strongest asset on the course.[4].
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Superhero Squad | ||||||||
| 2 | 3 (Qualifying) | Round One | 1 | Think Tank | Noah Kaufman | Win | 1-0 | |
| 2 | 3 (Qualifying) | Round One | 4 (Sudden Death) | Think Tank | Matt Wilder | Loss | 1-1 | |
| 2 | 3 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 1 | G-Force | Jesse La Flair | Win | 2-1 | |
| 2 | 8 (Wildcard) | Round One | 1 | Labreckfast Club | Noel Reyes | Loss | Sean fell at the Floating Tiles. | 2-2 |
| 2 | 8 (Wildcard) | Round Two | 1 | The Ballers | Lorin Ball | Loss | 2-3 | |
| 3 | 9 (Qualifying) | First Matchup | 3 | Wisco Warriors | Andrew Philibeck | Loss | 2-4 | |
Relay Showdown Record[]
| Season | Episode | Competitor (Obstacle Attempted) | Opponent Team | Opponent (Obstacle Attempted) | Result | Notes | Relay Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Superhero Squad | |||||||
| 2 | 3 (Qualifying) | Rachael Goldstein (1-3) Sean Darling-Hammond (4-6) Jamie Rahn (7-9) |
Think Tank | Asya Grechka (1-3) Noah Kaufman, MD (4-6) Matt Wilder (7-9) |
Loss | Both Sean and Noah fell at the Bar Hop. Therefore, Jamie and Matt resumed the relay after a 5-second countdown. | 0-1 |
| 2 | 8 (Wildcard) | Rachael Goldstein (1-3) Sean Darling-Hammond (4-6) Jamie Rahn (7-9) |
The Wings | Melanie Hunt (1-3) Thomas Stillings (4-6) David Yarter (7-9) |
Win | Melanie fell at the Swing Jump, resulting in a 10-second penalty for Thomas. | 1-1 |
| 2 | 9 (Wildcard) | Rachael Goldstein (1-3) Sean Darling-Hammond (4-6) Jamie Rahn (7-9) |
NorCal Ninjas | Anna Shumaker (1-3) Sean Bryan (4-6) David Campbell (7-9) |
Loss | 1-2 | |
American Ninja Warrior Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Failed Jumping Spider (Stage One) | All cut. | |
| 9 | Failed Wingnut Alley (Stage Two) | Digest. Transition to the second wingnut. | |
| 10 | Failed Jumping Spider (Stage One) | All cut. | |
| 11 | Failed Twist & Fly (Stage One) | All cut. |
References[]
- ↑ https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/news/meet-our-new-faculty-sean-darling-hammond
- ↑ https://www.americanninjawarriornation.com/2017/12/6/16744492/american-ninja-warrior-sean-darling-hammond-career-stats-season-nine
- ↑ https://www.americanninjawarriornation.com/2019/8/26/20828702/american-ninja-warrior-season-11-2019-national-finals-full-results-of-stage-one
- ↑ https://www.americanninjawarriornation.com/2019/4/21/18510547/a-mantra-for-mastering-the-most-important-ninja-obstacle-the-mind