OSU Track: Oklahoma State Star Mehdi Yanouri Sets Program Record in 800-Meter Race
On Saturday, Oklahoma State track and cross country runner Mehdi Yanouri became the first Cowboys athlete to run below 1:46 in the 800-meter dash.
SUB-1:46 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY‼️
— Oklahoma State XC/T&F (@run4okstate) July 20, 2024
Mehdi Yanouri runs 1:45.97 in Belgium to become the first Cowboy under 1:46 in program history!#GoPokes I #run4okstate pic.twitter.com/4DL5MWgIOE
While competing at the Flanders Cup in Ninove, Belgium, on Saturday, Yanouri ran a 1:45.97 in the 800-meter dash. Not only is this time a personal best for the Cowboys' standout, it makes the graduate student the fastest 800-meter runner in OSU history.
Yanouri's impressive outing earned the talented distance runner fourth place in the event behind Thomas Marques de Andrade and Corentin Magnou of France as well as Moad Zahafi of Morocco. Zahafi ran at Texas Tech in college, where he clocked the the NCAA's third-fastest 800-meter dash time ever at 1:43.69 in 2022.
Marques de Andrade, who took home the gold medal on Saturday, finished less than half of a second ahead of Yanouri, running a 1:45.49.
Like Zahafi, Yanouri is also from Morocco, hailing from Berkane before moving to Texas and attending Little Elm High School in the Dallas area, where he also played soccer.
Prior to his time in Stillwater, Yanouri ran for South Plains College in Levelland, TX, about 30 miles from Lubbock, the home of Texas Tech. South Plains is perennially one of the top junior college track and field programs in the nation.
At SPC, Yanouri won an indoor and outdoor national championship as part of the Texans' 4x800-meter relay team. In his first two seasons at Oklahoma State, Yanouri has had a solid start to his career, earning indoor and outdoor All-Big 12 honors in 2023 and 2024.
The talented middle distance runner has also earned indoor All-American and outdoor Honorable Mention All-American selections in his time with the Pokes. Entering his final year with the team, Yanouri should be poised for another big season.
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RANDALL SWEET