KZ: Hi Zak! How old were you when you first started gymnastics?

Z: I actually started gymnastics at the age of 16 after leaving tennis and Aussie Rules footy. A few of my friends were getting involved and I loved watching parkour/gymnastics stunts on the internet at the time so I couldn’t help myself! Now I wish I had started earlier.

KZ: Who is the funniest person on the set of Australian Ninja Warrior?

Z: There’s plenty of cheeky humour that occurs backstage and it makes the experience even better! Naming names it has to be Sam ‘Tradie Ninja’ Goodall, when he’s on a roll the whole room will be laughing.

KZ: Any embarrassing moments or bloopers that you can share?

Z: I don’t know if you’ll ever see them come to light, but there’s a good 10 minutes of interview bloopers to go through that would put a smile on anyone's face!

KZ: Any pre-show rituals, superstitions or good luck charms?

Z: Personally, I’ve never been superstitious about my runs. If it goes well, it’s because I succeeded and if it goes poorly it’s because I made a mistake! Though I do love a good hug from my girlfriend Georgia before and after running.

KZ: What fun element would you add to the course?

Z: If I could add any surprise element into the course, it would have to be picking a partner and running a tandem effort through the course – like a team run.

SPEED SESSION

KZ: Would you rather race against a cheetah or Sonic the Hedgehog?

Z: Definitely a cheetah, because they don’t have hands.

KZ: Would you rather arm wrestle The Rock or Thor?

Z: The Rock.

KZ: Would you rather fall into a pool or slime or a pool of honey?

Z: Pool of Honey - it’s delicious!

KZ: What super ability would you like to have?

Z: My dream super power would have to be flight.

KZ: If you were a superhero, what would be your hero name?

Z: The Flying Deutschman. I have some German heritage.

Watch Zak's shout out to K-Zoners, where he shares a pro tip for handling stressful situations!

Want to read more of our interview with Zak? Grab the August 2022 'Thunderstruck' issue of K-Zone, on sale now!