Usain Bolt has been the “world’s fastest man” since running away from the field at the 2008 Summer Games, and he’s the only sprinter to win three Olympic gold medals in the 100-meter dash.
But with Bolt retired, somebody else will be assuming the mantle of the “world’s fastest man” at the Tokyo Games later this month. That someone else may be living right here in Fort Worth and training at TCU.
Ronnie Baker sees no reason why he can’t earn the most prestigious title a sprinter can have: the world’s fastest.
“Where I’m at now, I feel great,” said Baker, who won NCAA championships in the 60-meter dash in 2015 and 2016 during his college career at TCU. “I’m in a really good spot. I think I have a great chance of taking a gold medal.”
Baker has a tiny connection to Bolt through a book called “The Fastest Men on Earth: The Inside Stories of the Olympic Men’s 100m Champions.” Bolt wrote the forward and is prominently featured. Near the end, there is a section about the up-and-coming sprinters who are “chasing Bolt.”
Baker was interviewed for the book and is mentioned briefly.
But, as Baker said, “I’d like to have my own chapter.”
He’ll have a chance to write it in Tokyo.
Baker qualified for the Olympics by finishing second in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Baker ran a personal-best 9.85 seconds in the finals of the 100 meters. Baylor’s Trayvon Bromell won with a time of 9.80 seconds.
But Baker feels he has room to improve in the coming weeks, saying that a sub 9.8 is reachable, possibly even a sub 9.7. Getting under 9.6 — a feat that only Bolt has accomplished in the sport — seems far-fetched but that doesn’t mean Baker isn’t dreaming of it.
“My mindset is always to be the fastest man in the world,” Baker said. “If you’re not trying to chase after those Usain Bolt times, then what are you doing? That’s my mindset. Hey, I want to be faster than Usain Bolt. I’ve always imagined I’m going to run somewhere in the 9.5s. That’s what I believe. For me, that would be crazy. There’s only one guy who’s ever run 9.5, two guys who have run 9.6 and less than 10 guys in history in 9.7. I’m at 9.8 right now, so in sprinting terms I’ve got a long way to go.
“But I’m in a place where I know where I’m at and I know where I want to be. I want to run those 9.7s, 9.6s and, God-willing, 9.5. That would be awesome. It’s God-willing, I’m going to have to have something push me, lift me, a gust of wind. But I’m working super hard. I know for sure I can run 9.7s. I know I can do that.”
Only three men have posted a time under 9.8 in the Olympic medal race — Bolt (9.63 in 2012, 9.69 in 2008) of Jamaica, fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake (9.75 in 2012) and American Justin Gatlin (9.79 in 2012).
A sub 9.8 would have won the gold medal at the Rio Games in 2016 as Bolt won it with a 9.81. Gatlin took the silver medal at 9.89, so Baker feels fairly confident he can at least walk away with a medal.
But one medal — and title — stands out more than the others.
“I’ve always believed I can win a gold medal,” he said. “I believe in myself, believe in my training, my support team. Literally the nine seconds I’m going to run is going to change my life, my family’s life. If you don’t believe you can do it, then mentally you’re not there. But I’ve always believed I could win. I’ve got confidence in myself.”
Born determined
Lachelle Baker knew her son Ronnie had a different mindset than most early on. As a toddler, Ronnie had a habit of sucking two of his fingers constantly. Lachelle’s sister asked Ronnie when he’d stop doing that one day.
Ronnie pulled his fingers out of his mouth and held up three fingers as his third birthday was just a couple of weeks away.
“On that day, when he turned 3-years-old, he stopped sucking his fingers,” Lachelle said. “He kept his word. He’s always been like that.”
Ronnie Baker grew up the oldest of three children, spending most of his childhood in Louisville. The family moved to Anchorage, Alaska, for seven years during his elementary school years. but Baker would return to Louisville and attend Ballard High School in the eastern suburbs of the city.
Lachelle has worked in the medical field most of her life, earning a nursing degree while raising her children as a single parent.
“Ronnie was always a great kid and was a great help to me,” Lachelle said. “He’d always tell me I work long hours at the hospital, so he’d have everything done when I came home. He’d cook dinner, have his brother and sister bathed and ready for the next day. He just took over things and never really complained if he didn’t have anything. He was just a happy child, always helpful and looking out for his siblings and me.
“And he was always focused. I’d come home from work some nights and he’d be up doing his homework. He never went to bed without doing his homework.”
Ronnie described his upbringing as middle class and a situation where he had to step up with his dad not being around all the time.
“It was a little bit rough, but as the oldest I had to learn a lot of stuff really early and really grow up,” Ronnie said. “I think that’s a big part of what’s made me who I am. Just being able to go after things and accomplish things no matter what the circumstances are. Life happens. You’ve got to figure out a way to move forward and not just sulk in whatever you’re going through. I can apply that to not only track but things outside of that — marriage, business, job, whatever. Just learning to make it happen no matter what.”
Chasing greatness
Ronnie Baker always knew he was fast. He’d give his friends head starts and still beat them going back to his elementary school days.
It wasn’t until high school when he knew he had special speed. Baker’s first love was basketball but his dreams of playing in the NBA shifted toward track and the Olympics quickly. He was a two-time Gatorade Kentucky Track and Field Athlete of the year and a two-time Class 3A state champion in the 100 and 400-meter dash.
That caught the attention of TCU coach Darryl Anderson, who had Kentucky ties going back to his days as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky from 1989-96.
Anderson recruited Baker to TCU and the relationship is still paying dividends. Baker became a 12-time All-American and won two NCAA championships, and Anderson is still serving as Baker’s coach.
Baker is the latest Olympian to come out of TCU and the first to make Team USA in the 100 meters since Doc Patton in 2008.
“I’m not a cry guy, but it brought tears to my eyes when he qualified for the team,” Anderson said. “I know how important it is to him to do that and how much time and sacrifices he’s put into it.”
Now it’s on to the Olympics where the expectation is to win a gold medal. Baker will prepare by running in a couple of Diamond League meets in Stockholm on Sunday and Monaco on July 9.
Anderson believes a faster time is possible for Baker by the time the Olympics begin. Anderson said, Baker didn’t have the best start in the trials but was running 26 mph from the 90- to 100-meter mark.
“He’s usually a good starter so he had to play catch up,” Anderson said. “That’s a sign that he’s going to run faster because his front end will be faster.”
Baker believes a better time is within reach too. Easier said than done, of course. The difference between winning a race, being on the podium or missing out completely comes down to hundredths of a second.
Just look at the U.S. Trials, which ranked among the fastest races in the history of the sport. Kenny Bednarek finished fourth with a time of 9.89 seconds, which would have qualified for any other country’s team but is an alternate for the United States.
“Success and failure in the 100 is such a narrow margin,” Anderson said. “I always say you’ve got to be able to live in a phone booth because that’s how close the races are going to be.”
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