Background

Portland, Oregon native Ryan Bailey made himself a nationally known talent in 2007 when he won Oregon State Championships 6A titles at 100m and 200m, and then went on to finish second and third over 200m at the Nike Outdoor Championships and USATF Junior Championships, respectively.

Upon graduating McKay High School in Portland, Ryan began training with John Parks while studying part-time at Chemecketa Community College in Salem. In his first year out of high school, Ryan saw his 100m and 200m times fall to 10.28 and 20.69 in a single day. Five weeks after his impressive double, Ryan finished third in the 100m at the USATF Junior Championships, and was a member of the USA Junior 4x400m Relay team that won gold at the IAAF World Junior Championships.

Following his eye-opening improvement after just a single year out of high school, Ryan reloaced himself to Ina, Illinois where he enrolled at Rend Lake College, known as one of the top junior college track and field programs in the country. At Rend Lake, Ryan won the 55m Dash at the National Junior College Indoor Championships and, during the outdoor season, won the 100m and finished second in the 200m at the National Junior College Track & Field Championships. It was at those championships that Bailey lowered his personal best to 10.05, making Bailey one of the fastest men in the US in 2009.