New Mexico firefighter looks back on Olympic win

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.