Kyle McCreight was one move away from advancing to the "American Ninja Warrior" national finals. His forearms had other plans.

The 38-year-old Sarasota occupational therapist fell on the final move of the "kaleidoscope" obstacle during the Season 18 Eastern Regional Finals in Las Vegas, aired July 13 on NBC. A sudden muscle "flash pump" locked up his fingers and peeled his left hand off the spinning handles, sending him backflipping into the pool below.

"I got through about three-fourths of the obstacle, I felt fine, and then all of a sudden, I could feel my forearms starting to pump out on me," McCreight told the Sarasota Observer. "We call that a flash pump when it just kind of comes all of a sudden. Your fingers and your hands just lock up on you."

It was McCreight's fourth season on the show. He has reached the regional finals in all four appearances (Seasons 14, 16, 17 and 18) and has come close to the national finals before. He said he won't apply for Season 19 but "fully intends" to apply for Season 20.

McCreight, who works at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital, has spent a decade as an occupational therapist. For the past five years, he has worked with limb-different children through the Never Say Never Foundation, which hosts an annual Pirate Camp in Clearwater teaching amputee and challenged youth sailing skills and ocean appreciation.

His three-legged black Labrador retriever, Tre, is part of that mission. McCreight adopted Tre from Nate's Honor Animal Rescue in Lakewood Ranch after the dog's leg was amputated as a puppy. Using his occupational therapy background, McCreight helped Tre learn to walk and balance on three legs. Tre became a certified therapy dog during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pair now visit patients at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Sarasota and local churches.

McCreight said he sees himself in the high-energy kids he works with. In 2019, he launched Sunshine Ninja Therapy, a program that took children with sensory processing disorders, including ADHD and autism, to a ninja gym to set up courses. The program is no longer active, but McCreight dreams of opening a dedicated ninja warrior gym in Sarasota to restart it.

"We have some trampoline parks and things like that, but we really don't have like a ninja warrior facility locally, and I think it'd be so cool and beneficial to the community to have one around here," he said.

At 38, McCreight acknowledged the physical toll of competing against younger athletes. He can no longer train daily and focuses on cardio to keep pace.

The Never Say Never Foundation's Pirate Camp 2026 runs Oct. 8-11 at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center. "American Ninja Warrior" Season 18 airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on NBC.