Ronnie Baker (athlete)

Ronnie Baker (born October 15, 1993) is an American professional track and field athlete specializing in the sprints.^[4] Over 60 meters his personal best time of 6.40 seconds makes him the third-fastest man in the event in history. He was champion over 60 m at the USA Indoor Championships in 2017, a medalist over 60 m at the World Indoor Championships in 2018, and a gold medallist in the 4 × 100 m relay at the World Relays in 2017. Baker was a dominant competitor over 100 m in the Diamond League circuit in 2018, winning four races and placing no worse than second, including in the final where he also placed second. He was the fastest man in the world in 2017 over 60 m, and the second fastest in 2018 over both 60 m and 100 m. In college he competed for the TCU Horned Frogs, where he was champion over 60 m at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in both 2015 and 2016. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Ronnie Baker ran his personal best of 9.83 in the men's 100m semi-finals, which made him the 6th fastest man in the history of Olympics 100m event.^{[citation needed]}

Ronnie Baker

Baker at the 2018 USATF Championships
Personal information
Born	(1993-10-15) October 15, 1993 (age 31) Louisville, Kentucky[1]
Employer(s)	Adidas, Performance Kitchen
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[2]
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and field
Event	Sprints
College team	TCU Horned Frogs (2013–2016)[1][3]
Coached by	Darryl Anderson[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	60 m: 6.40 A (2018) 100 m: 9.83 (2021) 200 m: 20.54 (2024)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States World Indoor Championships 2018 Birmingham 60 m World Relays 2017 Nassau 4×100 m relay World Indoor Tour Winner 2020 60 m

Early life

When Baker first started with school he ran cross country. Once in middle school he switched to running the 400 meters, and stuck with that through high school, competing in both track and basketball at Ballard High School in Louisville, Kentucky.^[5] Baker looked up to and was influenced by Michael Johnson, Tyson Gay, and Usain Bolt during his running career.^[6]

Track career

Baker ran for the Texas Christian University (TCU) track team, switching from the 400 meters to the shorter sprint events. During his time there, he was twice NCAA (United States collegiate) champion in the 60 m event in 2015 and 2016.^[7][8]

In 2017, Baker became national indoor champion over 60 m.^[9][10][11] A month later at the World Relays he earned his first gold medal at a global championship in the 4 × 100 m relay.^[12]

In 2018, Baker won third in the World Indoor Championships.^[13][14]

He set his 100 m then-personal best (9.87, wind −0.1 m/s) on August 22, 2018, at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzów.^[15][16]

In his first 100 m race of 2021 at the Texas Relays on March 27, Baker won in a world leading 9.94 s and also broke the 1992 meet record of 9.97 s set by Olapade Adeniken.^[17]

He qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by running, at the time, a personal best of 9.85 in the 100m, while finishing 2nd at the 2020 US Olympic Trials.^[18]

Baker's Tokyo Olympic semifinal personal best time of 9.83 at the time made him the 6th fastest man and tied him for the 9th fastest time in Olympic 100m history; it also qualifies him as the third-fastest American in Olympic 100m history.^{[19][circular reference]}

Accolades and awards

While in high school, Baker was named in 2011 and 2012 the Gatorade state boys track and field athlete of the year.^[20][21][2] He received enough powdered Gatorade that he and his mother were able to stock Ballard High with the product for a time.^[5]

Personal life

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Baker attended Ballard High School. He also lived in Anchorage, Alaska for seven years in his youth.^[22] Baker is a distant relative of Tyson Gay.^[6] He married the former Mikaela Harrison on March 7, 2020, in Fort Worth, Texas.^[5]

Statistics

Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.^[4]

Personal bests

Event	Time (s)	Wind (m/s)	Venue	Date	Notes
60 m	6.40 A	—	Albuquerque, New Mexico, US	February 18, 2018	Altitude-assisted
100 m	9.83	+0.9	Tokyo, Japan	August 1, 2021
	9.78 w	+2.4	Eugene, Oregon, US	May 26, 2018	Wind-assisted
200 m	20.54	+0.5	Szekesfehervar, Hungary, US	July 9, 2024
	20.06 w	+4.3	Austin, Texas, US	April 29, 2017	Wind-assisted
200 m indoor	20.60 A	—	Albuquerque, New Mexico, US	January 30, 2016	Altitude-assisted
4×100 m relay	38.09	—	Knoxville, Tennessee, US	April 14, 2018

International championship results

Representing the  United States

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2015	Universiade	Gwangju, South Korea	4th	100 m	10.17 (0.0 m/s wind)
			DNF (semi 2)	4×100 m relay	Did not finish
			DQ	4×400 m relay	3:06.56
2017	World Relays	Nassau, Bahamas	1st	4×100 m relay	38.43
2018	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, England	3rd	60 m	6.44
2025	World Indoor Championships	Nanjing, China	6th	60 m	6.59

Circuit wins

• Diamond League (100 m)
  • Eugene: 2017, 2018
  • Rome: 2018
  • Paris: 2018
  • London: 2018
  • Stockholm: 2021
  • Monaco: 2021
• World Athletics Indoor Tour (60 m)
  • Overall winner: 2020
  • Toruń: 2017
  • Birmingham: 2017
  • Glasgow: 2020
  • Liévin: 2020
  • Madrid: 2020

National championship results

Representing the Louisville Track Club (2012), TCU Horned Frogs (2013–2016), and Nike (2017–2021)

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Notes
2012	USATF Junior Championships	Bloomington, Indiana	15th	400 m	48.28	[23]
2013	NCAA Division I Championships	Eugene, Oregon	7th	4×100 m relay	39.87
			7th	4×400 m relay	3:05.37
2014	NCAA Division I Indoor Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico	10th	4×400 m relay	3:12:41
	NCAA Division I Championships	Eugene, Oregon	23rd	100 m	10.74	(+0.6 m/s wind)
			10th	4×100 m relay	39.52	SB
2015	NCAA Division I Indoor Championships	Fayetteville, Arkansas	1st	60 m	6.52	PB
			5th	4×400 m relay	3:07.03
	NCAA Division I Championships	Eugene, Oregon	10th	4×400 m relay	3:06.25
			2nd	4×100 m relay	38.59	PB
	USATF Championships	Eugene, Oregon	7th	100 m	10.19	(0.0 m/s wind)[24]
2016	NCAA Division I Indoor Championships	Birmingham, Alabama	1st	60 m	6.47	WL, CR, PB[25][26]
	NCAA Division I Championships	Eugene, Oregon	9th	100 m	10.09	(+1.6 m/s wind) SB
			6th	4×100 m relay	38.72	SB
	US Olympic Trials	Eugene, Oregon	12th	100 m	10.10	(+2.0 m/s wind)[27]
2017	USATF Indoor Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico	1st	60 m	6.45	WL, PB[28][9][11]
	USATF Championships	Sacramento, California	12th	100 m	10.26	(−1.4 m/s wind)[29]
2018	USATF Indoor Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico	2nd	60 m	6.40	PB[30][31][32]
	USATF Championships	Des Moines, Iowa	2nd	100 m	9.90	(+1.1 m/s wind) PB[33]
2019	USATF Championships	Des Moines, Iowa	5th	100 m	10.20	(−1.0 m/s wind)
2021	US Olympic Trials	Eugene, Oregon	2nd	100 m	9.85	(+0.8 m/s wind) PB

• NCAA results from Track & Field Results Reporting System.^[34]

Seasonal bests

100 m Year Time Wind (m/s) Venue Notes 2011 10.57 +0.6 Louisville, Kentucky, US 2012 10.59 +1.0 Louisville, Kentucky, US 2013 10.33 w +4.3 Fort Worth, Texas, US Wind-assisted 10.58 −1.4 Waco, Texas, US 2014 10.21 +0.7 Fayetteville, Arkansas, US 10.14 w +2.7 Fayetteville, Arkansas, US Wind-assisted 2015 10.05 +1.8 Ames, Iowa, US 9.94 w +2.1 Eugene, Oregon, US Wind-assisted 2016 9.95 w +2.7 Fort Worth, Texas, US Wind-assisted 10.09 +1.6 Eugene, Oregon, US 2017 9.98 +0.4 Kingston, Jamaica 9.86 w +2.4 Eugene, Oregon, US Wind-assisted 2018 9.78 w +2.4 Eugene, Oregon, US Wind-assisted 9.87 −0.1 Chorzów, Poland 2019 10.20 −1.0 Des Moines, Iowa, US 2020 10.00 +1.1 Fort Worth, Texas, US 2021 9.83 +0.9 Tokyo, Japan

60 m Year Time Venue Notes 2013 6.76 College Station, Texas, US 2014 6.94 College Station, Texas, US 2015 6.52 Fayetteville, Arkansas, US 2016 6.47 Birmingham, Alabama, US 2017 6.45 A Albuquerque, New Mexico, US Altitude-assisted 2018 6.40 A Albuquerque, New Mexico, US Altitude-assisted 2020 6.44 Liévin, France Madrid, Spain 2021 6.53 Fayetteville, Arkansas, US

Track records

As of 9 September 2024, Baker holds the following track records for 100 metres.

Location	Time	Windspeed m/s	Date	Notes
Chorzów	9.87	– 0.1	22/08/2018	Track record shared with Fred Kerley (USA) from 25/08/2024.
Stade Sébastien Charléty, Paris	9.88	+ 0.8	30/06/2018
Torrance	9.97	+ 0.5	21/04/2018

See also

• 2018 in 100 metres