New Mexico
New Mexico firefighter looks back on Olympic win
Earlier this week, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team made history after receiving a medal for the first time in 16 years.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Day 7 of the 2024 Paris Olympics has come to a close. All week, several have been talking about different iconic moments that have taken place. Especially the U.S. men’s gymnastics team’s historic bronze medal, that broke the team’s 16-year dry spell. But did you know one of the people on the 2008 team calls Albuquerque home?
Local gymnast turned firefighter Joseph Hagerty helped the U.S. men’s gymnastics team win bronze back in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“Having the feeling of putting the metal around your neck. There’s nothing like it. You worked your entire life for that moment. And it’s going to be with you forever,” Hagerty said.
He’s taking a walk down memory lane.
“It gives me chills every time,” Haggerty said as he put his bronze Olympic medal on.
16 years ago, he and his team won bronze in the men’s artistic team all-around. He was just 26 years old at the time.
“For event finals, you put your three best up from your team on each event I did parallel bars, high bar and floor,” he said.
Until this week, no other U.S. men’s gymnastics team had medaled since Hagerty and his team.
“It feels good. But it’s still kind of sad, you know, you want every team every year to do well, you know, you want to represent the USA to the best of your ability,” Hagerty said. “But it’s good that they finally got that dry spell out of the way. It’s feels good to pass the torch.”
He watched with pride as this year’s team took the bronze.
“It’s exciting watching them, they were a tight-knit group, just like we were in 2008. And just to feel the excitement of what they were going through, brought back so many memories. My teammates just start texting me like crazy,” said Hagerty. “And we’re still really close. And this team, they’re going to be really close forever for the rest of their lives. And just seeing them put on that metal. It brought, I teared up a little bit.”
He and his teammates still keep in touch. He says they’re planning on meeting in Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics.
His advice for the 2024 Olympians: enjoy every moment:
“You got to cherish every second at the Olympics. Go see other people. Go watch basketball. Go watch swimming, go watch Ledecky destroy other countries. Stay in the moment, but enjoy every second of it,” he said.
After retiring from gymnastics, he worked at Disney World as a “tumble monkey” at the Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom. But then the COVID-19 shut down the show for three years. So he and his wife, who was pregnant with their second child at the time, decided to move back home to Albuquerque, where he became an Albuquerque Fire Rescue firefighter.
“Being on that team at the Olympics to this team is it’s one in the same you’re family. There’s nothing like it and being able to spend 48 hours with these guys as a family,” Hagerty said. “You know, getting under each other’s nails and having fun and just staying in the moment.”
KOB 4 asked him why he wanted to become a first responder.
“Just giving back to your community that’s given back so much to us with the support and gymnastics at the Olympics,” said Hagerty.
Hagerty has been with AFR for three years now. He says the crew quickly found out his Olympic past and even ask him to do backflips from time to time.
Local gymnast turned firefighter Joseph Hagerty helped the U.S. men’s gymnastics team win bronze back in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
New Mexico
Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
Students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School, and Los Alamos High School at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. Photo CourtesyLAPS
LAHS junior Tate Plohr and freshman Linus Plohr qualified to attend the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix, Ariz. Photo Courtesy LAPS
Los Alamos Middle School student Branden Keller was awarded the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair. Photo Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Twenty students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Los Alamos High School (LAHS) competed, with several garnering awards at the 2026 New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.
LAHS junior Tate Plohr qualified to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) next month in Phoenix, Ariz. He was awarded the 3rd-place Grand Award. Freshman Linus Plohr qualified as an alternate and will also be attending the Regeneron ISEF.
Students who participated in the state competition include, from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Sydney Chen, Mary Beth Kelsey, Lily Neale, Aurora Roberts Voss and Henry Rodarte; and Glyn Lo and Ernest Maupin, Mountain Elementary.
Students from LAMS who competed include Evelyn Fobes, Mason Garcia, Andrew Gilbertson, James Junghans, Sequoya Ke, Brandon Keller, Nejan Liyanage and Daniel Yampolsky.
LAHS students Julia Neale, Linus Plohr, Tate Plohr, Lilia Veteva, Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch competed at the senior level.
2026 Award winners:
Category Awards – Junior Division
- Animal Science, Cellular & Molecular
- Biomedical & Health Science
- Honorable Mention: Sequoya Ke
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, Software & Technology
- 2nd place: Nejan Liyanage
- Physics & Astronomy
- 1st place: Sydney Chen
- 2nd place: Mason Garcia
- Honorable Mention: Marybeth Kelsey
- Plant Science
Category Awards – Senior Division
- Behavioral & Social Science:
- Honorable Mention: Linus Plohr
- Earth & Environmental
- Honorable Mention: Lilia Viteva
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, & System Software
- 3rd Place: Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch
- Physics & Astronomy
Grand Awards
- ISEF finalist 3rd place: Tate Plohr
- Brandon Keller received the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. James Jungans and Marybeth Kelsey garnered Thermo Fisher Awards.
Other special award winners include:
- CO2 & Greenhouse Reduction Awards (Junior Division)
- Daniel Yampolsky, 2nd place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Sequoya Ke, 1st place, Biomedical & Health Science
- Brandon Keller, 1st place, Energy & Materials Science
- Andrew Gilbertson, 1st place, Physics & Astronomy
- CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Reduction Award (Senior Division)
- Lilia Viteva, 1st place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Office of Naval Research Award
- David Shortess Award
- New Mexico AVS Award
- Citadel Award
- Naval Research Award
- NM Network for Women in Science & Engineering Award
- Yale Science & Engineering Award
- Rose Baca Rivet Award
Related
Arizona State baseball will host a four-game homestand, beginning with New Mexico State on Wednesday, April 22.
The Sun Devils and Aggies faced each other in late March, with ASU winning 10-4. The two teams will meet for the final time at 6:35 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
ASU will then welcome Baylor on Friday, April 24, for a three-game series. The Sun Devils have yet to face the Bears this season, but ASU has been doing well so far and has been in the top 25 for four weeks.
Sophomore center fielder Landon Hairston earned Big 12 player of the week honors on April 13, after delivering five home runs in five games. His 10 runs in that stretch were tied for the second-most nationally and his 14 runs batted in were tied for third-most nationally. All nine of his hits went for extra bases, three more than any other player.
ASU’s series against Baylor will start at 6:35 p.m. for the first two games, followed by a 1:05 p.m. start on Sunday, April 26.
April 19
Softball at Houston, Cougar Softball Stadium, noon.
April 22
Baseball vs New Mexico State, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
April 23
Women’s golf at Big 12 Championship, Dallas Athletic Club, TBA.
Track and field at Penn Relays, Franklin Field, 1:22 p.m.
Beach volleyball at Big 12 Championship, Bear Down Beach, all day.
April 24
Baseball vs Baylor, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Softball vs Texas Tech, Farrington Stadium, 7 p.m.
April 25
Lacrosse at Colorado, Prentup Field, 11 a.m.
Softball vs Texas Tech, Farrington Stadium, 3 p.m.
Baseball vs Baylor, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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Josh’s Saturday Night Forecast
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Calmer weather has moved back into the state this afternoon. Temperatures are slightly warmer across northwestern New Mexico, while southeastern areas are cooler thanks to the backdoor cold fronts that moved in on Friday. Breezier winds will return Sunday and will help kick off a warming trend across the state, along with an elevated fire threat in eastern New Mexico.
Warmer weather will continue building in across the state throughout the upcoming week. A few isolated rain chances will return Monday in parts of New Mexico, but some of that rain may evaporate before reaching the ground.
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