Top Ten Moments Of 2020 - Numbers 6 & 5

#5 - Emmanuel Joseph Hurdles His Way Into History

As a Sophomore, Emmanuel Joseph (North Rockland) may have found himself in a bit of a shadow. In his own School District, his Girl's Team was getting much of the National Spotlight, with two athletes in very different events vying for National Titles. Even in his own Section, he was not set to be the Top Returner heading into his Junior Year. An athlete from New Rochelle had set the Junior State Record in the 60H, and was set to be the State's Best come next Winter. Joseph wasn't anonymous, though.  He was just 0.01 off the Sophomore State Record. A sign of good things to come, but in the terms of Boys HS running, the older you are, the better. Some athletes had a full year of training on him. But none of that mattered. Joseph was determined to improve.

Improve he did. Joseph opened his campaign with a 7.46 at the Section 1 Kickoff. That alone, would have been a Top 5 Mark for the year in 2019. His next jump came two weeks later, where he dropped it to 7.43 at the Marine Corps Invite. That mark would have won him a State Title in 2018. It also had him near equal his PR of 7.42 from the year prior.

Then came the big show. The Stanner Games was in the dead center of Invitational Season at the Armory, where the finals are harder to come by, and the wins even more so. Joseph knew he was in good shape. He had clocked a 7.47 in the Prelims, to set him up as the top Seed. The gun went off, and so did Joseph. So fast, he shattered the previous Junior State Record, and clocked a #2 All-Time Mark of 7.27 for the 55HH, good for US #1. It was an exceptional race, and left only one time target still on the block: the Overall State Record at 7.22.

The State Record had stood since 1987, the oldest Indoor Record still left standing. And Joseph was after it.  Back on the track two weeks later, Joseph made a run in the finals to give chase. A faster Prelim than his record run, his final saw a 7.38. Still good, better than the rest of the State, but not a Record. The same scenario repeated at Sectionals, ending with a 7.42. It was OK. Both meets were about team points rather than records, and multiple events on the day didn't help the pursuit. State Quals would be different.

That's not to say everything went to plan. Heading into the meet, after nursing a knee injury, Joseph hadn't touched a hurdle for over a week. Practice wasn't the priority, recovery was. But sometimes, that's all you need. In the Prelims, Joseph surprised even himself, running a 7.38, better than almost 90% of any final he's ever run. It proved he was in shape. The finals came along, and the stars aligned. Out quick from the gun, he was in a race of his own. Snatching the ground over every hurdle, he sprinted across the line, not knowing what the clock would read, only assured he would be moving on to States.

Flanked by the field, and mobbed by teammates, they saw the time before he did. Joseph had run 7.21, just under the previous State Record. Exactly one year after missing a Class State Record, Joseph was crushing the overall by the same margin on 0.01seconds. It reaffirmed his US #1 Status, and as the fastest hurdler in the history of New York State.

The story would continue through the State Meet (more on that later), but would end shortly after. Nationals, a redemption shot for Joseph, and a chance for the 60H Record, would be dashed by COVID-19. A run at the Outdoor State Record, held by the same Joe Galeano that Joseph took the record from Indoors, would also be put on hiatus. A season of opportunities taken, and opportunities missed. The story of 2020.