New Mexico Team is Rock-Climbing Phenom

A New Mexico teenager is continuing to inspire others as she wins big in reality TV competitions.

Katie Bone is a New Mexico-based athlete who is a nationally-ranked rock climber and a member of the 2022 Speed Youth National Climbing Team.

She first appeared on "American Ninja Warrior Junior" back in 2020, and viewers immediately took notice of Bone not only for her talent but also for her inspiring story.

Bone was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at only 11 years old and according to her website, her biggest concern was when she could start climbing again. As a child, she would watch in awe all the competitors on "American Ninja Warrior" and knew she wanted to one day compete.

Katie Bone has competed a whopping three times and now can add "Women's Champion" to her already impressive athletic resume.

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"American Ninja Warrior Women's Championship" was filmed a year ago, when Bone was only 16 years old. She beat out other competitors, women that Bone says she's looked up to for many years. In an interview with KOB 4 News Bone explained how it felt to be competing against women she watched as a child:

"When I was younger, before I even did NinjaI was watching the show and I just thought it would be the coolest thing to be on it, and a lot of the women I've been able to compete with last year, were people I watched when I was 10 years old. So getting to be friends with them now, and getting to compete with them is so incredible."

Not only did Katie Bone win the glory of being champion, but she also won a cash prize of $50,000. Bone will be donating $5,000 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Pumped NM, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Watch more of Katie Bone's interview with KOB 4 News on their website.