Wittering man Jake makes Ninja Warrior UK semi final

A security engineer has made it through to the semi final of ITV’s Ninja Warrior UK competition.

Jake Maguire, 33, from Wittering, featured in the second episode of the programme on Saturday evening. And although his appearance was brief he managed to complete the tough assault course, finishing fourth on the leaderboard.

He will now progress to the semi final where he will face an even tougher challenge.

Jake, who works for Britannia Fire and Security in Peterborough, was disappointed that his entire run was cut to just a few seconds, but is looking forward to his next appearance.

He said: “I was absolutely gutted. I got everyone together in the pub, sat there watching. Then they only showed the last bit of my run.

“I was hoping they would show the whole thing. Hopefully they will show more in the semi final.”

Ninja Warrior first became popular in Japan and the US before ITV brought it to UK screens. Filming took place earlier this year in front of a studio audience. Jake remembers feeling nervous before he took on the course for the first time.

He said: “When I got accepted I did look on YouTube at the Japanese and American versions and thought it looked really difficult. My initial approach was to go along and enjoy it.

“I didn’t think I would get past the first round. But I got quite a fast time and was quite shocked.”

Jake specialises in resistance training, but he knew many of the most successful Ninja Warrior contestants were built more like rock climbers.

He said: “When I was there looking at the other people, I saw they were all quite slim athletes. I’m a bit heavier and I thought I was never going to get through it.”

The semi final will be shown in the coming weeks. Previous episodes are available on ITV Player. You can also keep up with Jake on Twitter @Jakemaguire81.