Warrnambool's Alex Cox and Lenny Jansz to compete at Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association's 2023 World Series

Alex Cox, 15, and Lenny Jansz, 9, will compete at the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association's World Series in Florida from July 26. Both train under Matt Murray at Warrnambool ninja gym Hiit Nation. Alex, who has competed in obstacle sports for three years, is excited at the opportunity to compete against the best. The Warrnambool College student earned his spot at the competition by winning a world qualifier in Warrnambool.

"It's going to be a very good opportunity, I've never been overseas before and never been to a competition this big," he said. "This week alone, I've done five hours training and I've done competitions every week leading up to it."

Alex's goal is to make the top 50 in each of his five events. But he insisted he would not put pressure on himself.

"Even if I don't, I'm still going to be happy because it will be a good experience," he said.

Alex, who has a background in gymnastics, was first introduced to the sport after watching it on television.

"I thought, 'I should try this'," he said. "Turns out I was pretty good at it and haven't stopped."

He said his ninja and gymnastic training - he does the latter at Ballarat Gym Sports - went hand-in-hand.

"With swinging gymnastics, you learn to tap and get a good swing, and that's exactly what you need when you lache," he said of the ninja apparatus. "Gymnastic is all about power and strength and ninja is all about that too."

Lenny, who qualified for the world series by winning the seven-and-under national title at the Australian Ninja Games in January, said he was excited to compete in Florida and had been training hard in the lead-up. The Warrnambool East student is aiming to get a result "in the top 10 or 15".

Alex hoped the community would get behind his and Lenny's pursuit, as both currently fundraise for their trip.

"To cover entry fees and that sort of thing, we're hoping the community gets behind us," he said.

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