Vincent Pane was a Stanford University student who competed on three seasons of ANW. Apart from being a Ninja, he was known for being a multi-talented individual, being known as a chemist, a painter, an artist, and a dancer.
Vincent suddenly died on August 28th, 2024 in a climbing accident.
American Ninja Warrior 13[]
In the qualifiers, he competed in the second episode. There, his run was digested and he came out looking solid and survived a stumble on Burn Rubber and then almost fell in the water on Tipping Point but quickly corrected himself. He ended up falling on the descent on V Formation. He placed 15th overall.
He competed in the third semi-finals episode. He stumbled to the end of Diamond Dash but stayed out of the water. On the second half of the course, Pane failed the eighth obstacle, Padlock. Since he didn't go fast enough to land in the top 15, the chemist's season ended there.
American Ninja Warrior 14[]
Vincent returned to compete in his second season in the fifth qualifier round. His run was cut, but David Campbell confirmed that Vincent went out much earlier this season, failing the second obstacle, Shattered Panes.[1] As a result, this was the only season where Vincent did not make the semifinal cut.
American Ninja Warrior 16[]
Vincent returned for season 16 on the sixth qualifier. There, he sent a sculpture of co-host Akbar Gbaja-Biamila to the booth. On his run, Vincent made it to Jawbreakers with a time that placed him 12th, sending him to the runoff races against Jesse Orenshein, who placed 13th. During the runoff races, both of them fell on the Wingnuts. However, Vincent got there first, so he earned the runoff victory and advanced to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Vincent was up against Matt Bradley. While Matt completed the course, Vincent got revenge on the Wingnuts and was so close to finishing himself, as he grabbed the bar before the Rope Climb before he ran out of strength. Vincent was still one of the top two non-winners, and as a result, he advanced to the national finals for the first time in his career.
At the national finals his run was digested, Vincent failed on The Gambler, ending his best season to date.
Death[]
Vincent passed away on August 28th, 2024 in a hiking accident, just a week after his Vegas run was aired. He was 31 years old. Search and rescue officials later recovered his body over a month later in October 2024, where it was found that Vincent fell over 300 feet to his demise.[2]
More information can be found in this obituary, where you can also support his family.
Legacy[]
Stanford University, Vince's alma mater, would later release a memorial page in honor of Vincent on September 24, 2024.[3] The memorial page was written by two students that previously competed ANW, Max Manson and Hunter Swan, both of whom are close friends to Pane.
The second qualifying episode of American Ninja Warrior 17 was additionally dedicated in his memory, after his training partner David Campbell completed the course.
Trivia[]
- Vincent is one of twelve ninjas who won the runoff races to also advance to the Las Vegas national finals.