Sixty-one-year-old Brian Magerkurth, a Villanova resident, is looking to re-qualify for TV’s “American Ninja Warrior” after undergoing a hip replacement, writes Tom Avril for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel first qualified for the NBC show that tests its contestants’ strength and agility to the max in 2015.

He was planning to retry qualifying for another season when he realized that the pain in his hip was making it harder for him to do some of the more demanding activities.

He was diagnosed with an arthritic right hip, but immediately decided not to let that interfere with his plans.

“He no more could stop running, jumping, hopping than he could stop breathing,” said his wife, Valarie.

So he underwent hip replacement surgery, that was performed on Sept. 23 at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute.

Even so, he was eager to continue preparing and was able to get rid of his cane after just eight days, and it only took 12 weeks of light exercises for him to feel close to normal.

Now he is fully back in training, and is waiting to see if he will be accepted for Ninja Warrior this spring.

Read more about Brian Magerkurth at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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