BAKER Perry

29 Jun 1986
35
Male
1.85/6'0''
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL
 
United States of America
SAN DIEGO, CA
 
United States of America

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
RUG Rugby Sevens Men 6

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Tokyo Stadium
USA
United States
19
KEN
Kenya
14
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
USA
United States
19
IRL
Ireland
17
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
RSA
South Africa
17
USA
United States
12
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
GBR
Great Britain
26
USA
United States
21
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
CAN
Canada
14
USA
United States
21
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
USA
United States
7
RSA
South Africa
28
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
Olympic Games
RankEventYearLocation
9Men2016Rio de Janeiro, BRA

Rugby World Cup Sevens
RankEventYearLocation
6Men2018San Francisco, CA, USA

World Rugby Sevens Series
RankEventYearLocation
2Men2019
5Men2016/2017
6Men2018
7Men2020

World Rugby Sevens Series - Australia
RankEventYearLocation
3Men2020Sydney, NSW, AUS
4Men2018Sydney, NSW, AUS
6Men2017Sydney, NSW, AUS

World Rugby Sevens Series - Canada
RankEventYearLocation
4Men2018Vancouver, BC, CAN
4Men2017Vancouver, BC, CAN
6Men2020Vancouver, BC, CAN

World Rugby Sevens Series - Dubai
RankEventYearLocation
2Men2018Dubai, UAE
8Men2019Dubai, UAE
9Men2016Dubai, UAE
15Men2017Dubai, UAE

World Rugby Sevens Series - England
RankEventYearLocation
3Men2019London, GBR
4Men2017London, GBR

World Rugby Sevens Series - France
RankEventYearLocation
4Men2019Paris, FRA
5Men2017Paris, FRA

World Rugby Sevens Series - Hong Kong
RankEventYearLocation
4Men2017Hong Kong, CHN
6Men2018Hong Kong, CHN

World Rugby Sevens Series - New Zealand
RankEventYearLocation
2Men2019Hamilton, NZL
6Men2020Hamilton, NZL
9Men2018Hamilton, NZL
11Men2017Wellington, NZL

World Rugby Sevens Series - Singapore
RankEventYearLocation
2Men2017Singapore, SIN
9Men2018Singapore, SIN

World Rugby Sevens Series - South Africa
RankEventYearLocation
2Men2018Cape Town, RSA
7Men2016Cape Town, RSA
9Men2019Cape Town, RSA

World Rugby Sevens Series - USA
RankEventYearLocation
1Men2018Las Vegas, NV, USA
3Men2017Las Vegas, NV, USA
5Men2020Las Vegas, NV, USA
:
Speedstick (theguardian.com, 04 Mar 2019)
:
Athlete, Business Owner
:
Criminology - Fairmont State University, United States of America
:
Wife Brittany
:
English
:
Mike Friday [national], ENG
:
Back (goffrugbyreport.com, 04 Mar 2020)
:
His brother Dallas Baker has played American football for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL. His uncle Wes Chandler also played the sport for 11 years in the NFL during the 1970s and 1980s. (walesonline.co.uk, 23 May 2016; databasefootball.com, 2019)
:
He played American football at Fairmont State University in the United States of America, and in the Arena Football League [AFL] with Pittsburgh Power. (theguardian.com, 13 Feb 2015)
:
2014 for United States of America, in Gold Coast, Australia (walesonline.co.uk, 23 May 2016)
:
He fractured the fibula bone in his leg while competing at the 2021 Madrid Sevens tournament in February that year. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 09 Apr 2021)

He broke his jaw while playing at the 2019 Hamilton Sevens tournament in January that year. He returned to competition at the London leg of the series in May 2019. (rugbyworld.com, 24 May 2019)

He missed the last two legs of the 2018 World Sevens Series with a shoulder injury. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 26 Nov 2018)

He sustained a concussion at the start of the 2017/18 season. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 23 May 2019)

A knee injury ended his hopes of securing a contract to play American football with a team in the NFL. (walesonline.co.uk, 23 May 2016)
:
He took up the sport in 2014 with the Daytona Beach Coconuts rugby team in Florida, United States of America. (cnn.com, 28 Feb 2018; theguardian.com, 13 Feb 2015)
:
He began playing rugby after a knee injury cut short his American football career. In 2014 he was invited to train with the US rugby sevens team. "I gave myself a year. I was getting older and I actually needed to work and make money. So it was rough, sometimes, but [coach] Paul Holmes told me to stick with it. I wanted to learn to play rugby as I didn't want to go back to Florida. The sport helped me get my life back, and taught me valuable lessons in how to respond to setbacks." (HSBC YouTube channel, 23 May 2019; theguardian.com, 13 Feb 2015)
:
To win a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (olympicchannel.com, 28 Feb 2020)
:
He was named Male Rugby Sevens Player of the Year by World Rugby in 2017 and 2018, becoming the first player to win the award twice. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 26 Nov 2018)

He was named in the Dream Team for the 2016 London Sevens tournament. (americasrugbynews.com, 22 May 2016)

General Interest

General
BUSINESS OWNER
He runs Baker Incorporation, a sports clothing company based in United States of America. (baker-incorporation.com, 2020)

FROM AMERICAN FOOTBALL TO RUGBY
He grew up playing as a wide receiver in American football and hoped to take up the sport professionally. After signing for the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League [NFL] in 2011, he was released when they discovered a knee injury that he had initially sustained during his time playing for Fairmont State University. He played American football for two years in the Arena Football League before switching to rugby sevens in 2014. "Being a football player and being a rugby player, some things go hand in hand. As far as me being a receiver playing in a football league, I had to read defences, I had to set up the opposite man, things like that. In rugby that all goes hand in hand. But I think you can take a rugby player and have him play football, and it's better than having a football player play rugby. So much is different. It would have been an easier transition that way." (HSBC YouTube, channel, 23 May 2019; cnn.com, 28 Feb 2018; walesonline.co.uk, 23 May 2016)

POLICE WORK
In mid-2017 he worked on an internship with the New York Police Department [NYPD] and their SWAT team in the United States of America. "I went to the police academy in New York and did a ride-along with one of their officers. Then I went to a SWAT unit to see how that was set up, what vehicles they have and which ones they'd use for certain task. I just felt that it was cool with taking people down, kicking down doors. My interest in law enforcement came about due to a court case involving another person where I was called to the witness stand when I was a child." (cnn.com, 28 Feb 2018)

SPEED MERCHANT
He has been timed at 4.34 seconds over 40 yards. (walesonline.co.uk, 23 May 2016)

Legend
:
Gold Medal Event
:
Silver Medal Event
:
Bronze Medal Event
Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos