4-2 American Ninja Warrior!

Matt: Josh has been training for Ninja Warrior since he was 15. Wanted to compete last year when he turned 21, but hurt his shoulder right before and couldn't compete. And Akbar, this is one of my picks for a rookie breakout.

Akbar: Well, this course will be a real test for him. It may be the first city finals course without a finisher.

Matt: This guy growing up a 10-time national speed climbing champion. We know he has tremendous strength and agility, but also intellectually a great mental approach.

Now the escalator. Get the speed going here. Fast feet, fast feet. Yeah! Right over the escalator.

Well, in addition to his rock climbing career, Levin is studying engineering at Northeastern University in Boston. He's had internships with NASA and Apple.

Akbar: The rest of this course is the best of his talents as a speed climber, and now he just has to put it all together here. There's talent, and then there's rising to the occasion under the pressure of the bright lights and the fans screaming.

Matt: He's used to doing what he does in front of crowds, being judged. And we've seen that can be one of the most difficult elements of American Ninja Warrior. It's not just performing, it's performing with the bright lights.

Taking his time, but he gets through the ring jump.

Akbar: Come on! Let's go Josh!

Matt: And you see his coach, Stacy Culver, watching there. How proud she must be. Back in the Bay Area, waiting on a second lung transplant.

Akbar: He can use his climbing skills right here on the I-beam.

Matt: This I-beam cross is long, 38 feet long.

Akbar: So smooth. Go big! Go big!

Matt: Great ascent there. Such power out of Levin. 5'6", 150, playing to the crowd.

And he's going feet first.

Akbar: Oh boy, Matt. Oh, this is interesting. This has backfired for some others.

Matt: But he is looking smooth, and he's got it!

He's taking his time. He may be conserving his energy for the back half of the course.

Crowd: Warped wall! Warped wall! Warped wall!

Matt: Right up the wall!

Akbar: Hey, it's your time now. It's your time to shine. Everybody gets their time.

Matt: I think he may have been pacing himself. He wants to be the first one to hit the buzzer on this extended city finals course.

Akbar: Well, we know he's got the upper body strength, but he's gonna have to figure out the wedge.

Matt: And he's coming off a shoulder injury from last year.

Akbar: Fully rehabbed here. No labrum problem there. Deltoid looks strong there. And boom! That boy's in business.

Matt: Well, he's reached the wedge, so he's guaranteed a spot in Vegas, but he wants to hit that buzzer. First though, must get past this obstacle, which only Jessie Graff has been able to do so far.

Akbar: Speed is cool here, but oh, that bar's on a mission. It's precision that he needs. You see that correction right there? That's a great correction right there. And just great body control. And there's no panic in his face. He looks in total control right now.

Matt: This rookie waited so long to compete, trying to correct the bar.

Akbar: Go one more!

Matt: Got that bar. This is it, the moment of truth. Going for the dismount.

Akbar: Oh! Oh! Oh! The rookie did it! That's what I'm talking about!

Matt: Josh Levin just the second competitor to make it this far, along with Jessie Graff. And his coach watching from the Bay Area, gotta be loving this.

Akbar: Now the shirt comes off.

Matt: Well, he's already guaranteed his spot in Vegas. But you know he wants to hit that buzzer. Still has two more obstacles in his way, including this brutal one right here, the helix hang.

Akbar: Matt, with the helix hang, you get full swing here, 360 degrees here.

Matt: Well, we saw this in Orlando last year, only four athletes were able to best it. But Josh Levin putting on a clinic.

Akbar: He is working. Yeah, he is putting the spin on this one.

Matt: This obstacle stopped some of the best ninja athletes last year, but the college kid is figuring it out.

Akbar: He's about to put a photo finish. Put that one on Instagram.

Matt: Look at what he is doing here!

Akbar: Got it! You got it! You got it! Go! Go! Yeah!

Matt: And the first to complete the helix hang!

Akbar: Oh Matt, that's a bad dude. He's not worried about fitness, he is custom made.

Matt: And now just the invisible ladder stands between him and being the first finisher tonight.

Akbar: You can feel it now. He is centering himself, about to take it to the top. He needs a little bit of energy.

Matt: Well, it's a 30-foot tower. Has to work his arms and keep himself up. An upper body test after all these other obstacles. 22-year-old rookie. Here we go.

Akbar: Oh boy, Matt. He's going against gravity. Some of those astronauts may deal with no gravity, he's fighting gravity right now.

Matt: Think about the absolute upper body blast he's had from the ring jump, the I-beam cross, salmon ladder, the wedge, the helix hang.

Akbar: He is really his way here, Matt. Levin looking for that leverage that he needs to get to the top. He can see the top of the lights. He's used to being a champion as a climber. This young kid from Sunnyvale, he can see the sun shining right now. His future is bright. Josh Levin! All he's got to do is hit the buzzer.

Matt: Boom!