Growing up, Charles Benichoux played all kinds of sports. Whether it was tennis, gymnastics or rugby, Benichoux signed up for it.

“I think it helped me,” he said. “[It] probably helped me in everyday life.”

Born in Haiti, he was adopted at age 2 and lived in France most of his life. A few years ago, Benichoux spent a semester attending high school in Putnam County and got a taste of what America has to offer.

“Since I was a kid, I really wanted to come to America, because for me, America was like the American dream,” Benichoux said.

That inspired him to want to attend college in the United States. Around that same time, Benichoux picked up another sport: track and field.

The Frenchman has become one of the top junior college sprinters in the country, running for Hudson Valley Community College.

“Right now, I’m happy,” he said, regarding his performance so far this season. “I’m pretty happy about what I’m doing right now. But I know we got a lot of work to do. So it’s just the beginning.”

Recently at the UAlbany Spring Classic, Benichoux finished first in the 100 meters for the fifth consecutive week with a time of 10.67 seconds. He also clocked in a personal best in the 200 meters at 21.97 seconds.

His times for those events ranks him first among NJCAA D3 sprinters.

“He’s excited to be in America, I can tell you that,” said HVCC track and field head coach Jeoffrey York. “And he’s excited to be running track. He loves track, he loves sports. I don’t know if he’s told you, but he’s an athlete. He’s done a lot of different stuff.”

Hudson Valley will host the national championship in Troy from May 12-14.

Benichoux is hoping to walk away with the sprinting title that weekend, especially with his family in town from France. But his ultimate goal is to run for his home country in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

“Since I arrived here, I told them that,” Benichoux said. “They know. You just have to work hard. And I know it’s going to pay off.”