'American Ninja Warrior' 2019 Results and Highlights from Episode 9

First Oklahoma City watched Russell Westbrook and Paul George get traded away from its basketball team. Then it had to watch an American Ninja Warrior lose in a Power Tower showdown on Monday night.

Daniel Gil was the headliner of Monday's American Ninja Warrior OKC city finals episode that featured those who advanced past qualifiers and were looking to clinch a spot in the national finals in Las Vegas.

The ninja veteran didn't face much pressure considering he already earned a spot in the national finals by winning Power Tower in qualifying and won $10,000 by reaching the top of the Mega Wall. That allowed him to focus on speed in Monday's episode, which was critical since the top two finishers competed for a safety pass in the Power Tower.

That safety pass provides a do-over in Las Vegas if the competitor falls in Stage 1 or Stage 2, and Gil faced off against training partner Mathis "The Kid" Owhadi.

Gil's dominance was never in question, but the fact that he was yawning when he reached the top of the Warped Wall during his run that clinched a spot in the Power Tower race underscored his abilities. He finished the course nearly a minute faster than Owhadi and appeared primed to defeat his protege without much difficulty.

So much for that.

Owhadi shocked the ninja world and climbed the tower faster than Gil, clinching that coveted do-over heading into the national finals.

Owhadi was the star, but Jeff Harris set the tone as the first competitor and reached the portion with additional obstacles from qualifying. One of those obstacles was Snap Back, the new challenge that asked ninjas to jump from a back bar to a front one as it snaps back and provides a moving target.

Competitors have to do so twice, and Harris—who is known as the Waste Warrior because of his passion for recycling—fell on the second one.

He wasn't the only one to set the tone, as Maggi Thorne did the same for a loaded field of women. She was one of five women who made the OKC city finals and the first to go in a situation where the top two advanced to Las Vegas.

While she took a hard fall on the Diving Boards, it didn't stop her from advancing past the Coconut Climb that ended her qualifying run and becoming the second mother ever to make it over the Warped Wall. She lost on the eighth obstacle, Crazy Clocks, but still looked to be in an ideal position to advance.

Ninja rookie Taylor Amann, who was a pole-vaulter at Wisconsin, had other ideas and moved into first place on the women's side by also advancing to Crazy Clocks but at a quicker time.

They both maintained their spots in the top two when Karen Wiltin fell on the Salmon Ladder, but she still impressed by becoming the third mother to make it over the Warped Wall. She did so on her third and final attempt, thriving in the pressure-packed moment.

Madelynn McNeal, who lost on Coconut Climb, was the only woman who didn't climb the Warped Wall. Barclay Stockett did so faster than Amann or Thorne and continued her blistering pace until she also fell at Crazy Clocks.

She still clinched a spot in Las Vegas alongside Amann thanks to that pace.

That the top three women all fell on Crazy Clocks was not surprising in OKC, as many of the competitors saw their runs end on the obstacle that forced them to hang from the clocks while pushing the heavy hands together from one side to another.

The Crazy Clocks didn't stop everyone, though, as Karsten "Big Kat" Williams powered through them, the daunting Snap Back and the 35-foot chute with 50-pound doors at Spider Trap. Spider Trap represented the final obstacle, and he became the first finisher of the night with a time of four minutes, 29.17 seconds.

It was the time to beat before the headliners, and Jody Avila (five minutes, 11.20 seconds) and David Wright (five minutes, 17.38 seconds), who is known as Cake Ninja because he eats a cupcake before competing, were unable to eclipse it despite finishing the course.

Matthew Day was one of those headliners considering he faced Gil in the Power Tower during qualifying, but he fell in a shocking development at Coconut Climb.

The only remaining drama was whether Williams' time would hold up against Owhadi, but The Kid defeated him by less than a second in four minutes and 28.83 seconds. While Williams came within a fraction of a second of earning a showdown with Gil, he can at least take solace knowing he will have another chance against Monday's top two finishers in the national finals.