Ronnie Baker (sprinter)

Ronnie Baker (born October 15, 1993) is an American professional track and field athlete specializing in the sprints. 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 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 100 m semi-finals, which made him the 6th fastest man in the history of Olympics 100 m event.

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. Baker looked up to and was influenced by Michael Johnson, Tyson Gay, and Usain Bolt during his running career.

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.

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

In 2018, Baker won third in the World Indoor Championships.

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.

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.Steve Campbell (March 27, 2021). "Ronnie Baker Runs World-Leading 9.94 At Texas Relays". World-Track. Retrieved April 10, 2021.

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

Baker's Tokyo Olympic semifinal personal best time of 9.83 at the time made him the 6th fastest American man and tied him at the time for the 9th fastest time in Olympic 100 m history; it also qualifies him as the fifth-fastest American in Olympic 100 m history.

In 2025, Baker won the USA Indoor 60 meters title, becoming the only athlete in history to capture the championship eight years apart, having previously won in 2017. During the outdoor season, he became the first athlete to run a sub-10-second 100 meters on Slovak soil, marking a historic performance for the country. Later that year, Baker represented the United States at the World Championships in Tokyo, where he earned a gold medal as a member of the U.S. 4 × 100 meters relay team.

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. He received enough powdered Gatorade that he and his mother were able to stock Ballard High with the product for a time.

Personal life A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Baker attended Ballard High School. He also lived in Anchorage, Alaska for seven years in his youth. Baker is a distant relative of Tyson Gay. He married the former Mikaela Harrison on March 7, 2020, in Fort Worth, Texas. He has a daughter, Mayah, and son, RJ. Baker is a Christian.

Statistics Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

Personal bests Event Time (s) Wind (m/s) Venue Date Notes 60 m 6.40 Albuquerque, New Mexico, US February 18, 2018 Altitude-assisted100 m 9.83 +0.9 Tokyo, Japan August 1, 2021 9.78 +2.4 Eugene, Oregon, US May 26, 2018 Wind-assisted200 m 20.54 +0.5 Szekesfehervar, Hungary, US July 9, 2024 20.06 +4.3 Austin, Texas, US April 29, 2017 Wind-assisted 200 m indoor 20.60 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 Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes2015 Universiade Gwangju, South Korea 4th 100 m 10.17 (0.0 m/s wind) (semi 2) 4 × 100 m relay Did not finish 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 6.442025World Indoor ChampionshipsNanjing, China6th60 m6.59World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan4th (h) relay37.982026World Ultimate ChampionshipBudapest, Hungary3rd100 m9.93

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 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 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships Fayetteville, Arkansas 1st 60 m 6.52 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 USATF Championships Eugene, Oregon 7th 100 m 10.19 (0.0 m/s wind)2016 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships Birmingham, Alabama 1st 60 m 6.47 , , NCAA Division I Championships Eugene, Oregon 9th 100 m 10.09 (+1.6 m/s wind) 6th 4 × 100 m relay 38.72 US Olympic Trials Eugene, Oregon 12th 100 m 10.10 (+2.0 m/s wind)2017 USATF Indoor Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 1st 60 m 6.45 , USATF Championships Sacramento, California 12th 100 m 10.26 (−1.4 m/s wind)2018 USATF Indoor Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 2nd 60 m 6.40 USATF Championships Des Moines, Iowa 2nd 100 m 9.90 (+1.1 m/s wind) 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) NCAA results from Track & Field Results Reporting System.

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 +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 +2.7 Fayetteville, Arkansas, US Wind-assisted2015 10.05 +1.8 Ames, Iowa, US 9.94 +2.1 Eugene, Oregon, US Wind-assisted2016 9.95 +2.7 Fort Worth, Texas, US Wind-assisted 10.09 +1.6 Eugene, Oregon, US 2017 9.98 +0.4 Kingston, Jamaica 9.86 +2.4 Eugene, Oregon, US Wind-assisted2018 9.78 +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 Albuquerque, New Mexico, US Altitude-assisted 2018 6.40 Albuquerque, New Mexico, US Altitude-assisted2020 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. LocationTimeWindspeedm/sDateNotes Chorzów 9.87 – 0.1 22/08/2018 Track record shared withFred 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

Ronnie Baker (sprinter)

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