VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Rugby Star Perry Baker Eyes Gold in Paris

Perry Baker, a standout on the U.S. Olympic rugby team, is setting his sights on gold at the 2024 Paris Games, drawing on his long journey in the sport and the team’s under-the-radar status.

Baker’s rugby odyssey began in high school, far from the Olympic stage. “I was introduced to the sport by my high school guidance counselor,” Baker said. “He was also my position coach in football.”

The counselor, impressed by Baker’s performance in a basketball game, saw untapped potential. “He just said, ‘Hey, I think you can play rugby. You should come out,'” Baker recalled. That invitation changed his athletic trajectory.

After attending a rugby academy in Ohio for a year and a half, Baker’s skills caught national attention. “I was called to the national team, and then I made my mark,” he said.

Now a veteran, Baker believes the U.S. team’s current lower profile might be an advantage. This marks a shift from recent years when the team’s success brought heightened expectations.

“The last four years, we were ranked #2 in the world. We’ve been in the top five, top four, and everyone was like, ‘The sleeping giant has finally woken,'” Baker said.

Today, the landscape is different. “Right now, we’re flying under the radar,” Baker said. “We don’t have the pressure that we felt before, the expectations because we were so good. Now, we’re still taking care of business.”

For Baker, preparation is as much mental as physical. Years of experience have tuned his body to perform when needed. “I’ve been doing it for so long, I just feel like my body knows when it’s called upon,” he said.

Tour life also sharpens his focus. “Once I go on tour, it kind of hits me to know why I’m away from my family, why I’m here,” Baker explained. “When it’s game time, I’m just dialed in. I prepared for this back at the training center, so now it’s go time.”

As the 2024 Paris Olympics slowly approach, Baker and his teammates aim to achieve their goal of turning their underdog status into Olympic gold.