# Yaseen Abdalla
**Yaseen Abdalla** (born 2001) is a Sudanese long-distance runner who competed in NCAA track and field and cross country for Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas and represents Sudan in international competition, including the 5,000 meters at the 2022 [World Athletics Championships](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-athletics-championships) and the marathon at the 2024 Olympic Games and the 2025 World Athletics Championships.[1](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sudan/yaseen-abdalla-14969014) He holds Sudanese national records in the 3,000 meters (7:34.17) and 5,000 meters (13:09.99), both set indoors in the 2024-25 season while running for Arkansas.[1](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sudan/yaseen-abdalla-14969014)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2001; represents Sudan (World Athletics code 14969014)[1](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sudan/yaseen-abdalla-14969014) |
| National records | 3,000 m 7:34.17 (7 Dec 2024); 5,000 m 13:09.99 (14 Feb 2025), both indoor, both Sudanese records[1](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sudan/yaseen-abdalla-14969014) |
| Other personal bests | Mile 3:55.31 (1 Feb 2025); 10,000 m 28:33.38 (2022); marathon 2:13:32 (2025)[1](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sudan/yaseen-abdalla-14969014) • [2](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292) • [3](https://en.uzathletics.uz/f/worldchamps-resultshandbook.pdf) |
| NCAA titles | 2022 Indoor NCAA champion, distance medley relay; 2022 Indoor NCAA team champion (Texas)[2](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292) |
| World Championships | 5,000 m, Oregon 2022 (14:15.59, 18th); marathon, Tokyo 2025 (2:13:32, 21st)[4](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2023/5/10/2023_OTF_Men_s_Stats_5.8.pdf) • [3](https://en.uzathletics.uz/f/worldchamps-resultshandbook.pdf) |
| Olympic Games | Marathon, Paris 2024[5](https://iaafmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/misc/olympics/OG2024_ATHLETICS.pdf) |
| Colleges | Texas (through 2022), Tennessee (2022-24), Arkansas (2024-25)[2](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292) • [6](https://arkansasrazorbacks.com/roster/yaseen-abdalla-2/) |
## College career
Abdalla is from Lanham, Maryland, and attended the Liberal Arts and Science Academy before competing for the University of Texas.[2](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292) At Texas he established himself across the distance range: he ran 3:43.59 for 1,500 meters in 2022, won the 2022 Big 12 indoor 5,000-meter title with a school-record 13:33.26, and set a personal best of 28:33.38 for 10,000 meters at the 2022 Mt. SAC Relays, finishing ninth there.[4](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2023/5/10/2023_OTF_Men_s_Stats_5.8.pdf) • [7](https://utsports.com/news/2023/2/10/track-field-rocky-top-spotlight-yaseen-abdalla) He was part of Texas's 2022 indoor national championship team and ran the distance medley relay that won the 2022 NCAA indoor title in 9:25.20.[2](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292)
**Transfer to Tennessee.** Abdalla moved to the [University of Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-tennessee) as a senior transfer and opened his Tennessee outdoor career at the 2023 Bryan Clay Invitational, running 13:44.16 for 5,000 meters, the second-fastest time in Tennessee history at that point.[2](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292) In SEC championship competition he was a repeat scorer: silver in the 2023 indoor 5,000 meters (14:10.19), silver in the 2023 outdoor 10,000 meters (30:00.18), silver in the 2024 indoor 3,000 meters (7:52.32), and bronze in the 2024 outdoor 10,000 meters (29:58.93).[2](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292) In cross country he finished third at the 2022 SEC championship (22:45.57 for 8 km) and fourth in 2023, and he earned USTFCCCA All-America honors in cross country in 2021 and 2022.[2](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292) At the 2023 NCAA South Regional Championships his second-place finish helped Tennessee win the team title and was the highest regional finish by a Vol since Doug Ellington in 1998.[7](https://utsports.com/news/2023/2/10/track-field-rocky-top-spotlight-yaseen-abdalla)
**Arkansas and the 2024-25 indoor season.** Abdalla spent his final collegiate season at the [University of Arkansas](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-arkansas) as a graduate senior.[6](https://arkansasrazorbacks.com/roster/yaseen-abdalla-2/) That season produced his fastest marks: 3:55.31 for the mile at the Razorback Invitational on 1 February 2025, 13:09.99 for 5,000 meters at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational on 14 February 2025, and 7:34.17 for 3,000 meters at the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on 7 December 2024.[1](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sudan/yaseen-abdalla-14969014) • [8](https://m.tfrrs.org/athletes/7370341/Texas/Yaseen_Abdalla.html) At the 2025 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in March he placed 11th in the 3,000 meters in 7:56.04 and 15th in the 5,000 meters in 13:44.03.[9](https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Indoor/2025/results.pdf)
## International competition for Sudan
Abdalla represented Sudan at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in [Eugene, Oregon](https://www.edgepedia.org/eugene-oregon), in the 5,000 meters, where he ran 14:15.59 and finished 18th.[4](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2023/5/10/2023_OTF_Men_s_Stats_5.8.pdf) He entered the championships with a personal best of 13:33.26 and a world ranking of 158 in the event.[10](https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitiondocuments/pdf/7137279/AT-5000-M-h----.SL2.pdf)
**Marathon.** He moved up to the marathon for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he competed in the men's marathon.[5](https://iaafmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/misc/olympics/OG2024_ATHLETICS.pdf) At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo he returned to the distance and finished 21st in 2:13:32, a season best, running through halfway in 1:05:20.[3](https://en.uzathletics.uz/f/worldchamps-resultshandbook.pdf) • [11](https://www.athletic.net/result/AWiMzEMTELsvYBLzcN)
## Progression by the numbers
Abdalla's track bests improved steadily across his college years. His 5,000-meter best moved from 13:47.49 at the 2021 Big 12 Championships to 13:33.26 indoors in 2022 and 13:09.99 in February 2025, a gain of roughly 37 seconds over four years.[4](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2023/5/10/2023_OTF_Men_s_Stats_5.8.pdf) • [1](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sudan/yaseen-abdalla-14969014) His 10,000-meter best improved from 29:35.00 in 2021 to 28:33.38 in 2022.[4](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2023/5/10/2023_OTF_Men_s_Stats_5.8.pdf) The 7:34.17 for 3,000 meters in December 2024, set at [Boston University](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-university), stands as his highest-scoring mark on the [World Athletics](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-athletics) tables at 1238 points.[1](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sudan/yaseen-abdalla-14969014)
## Honors
Abdalla's collegiate honors include 2022 Indoor USTFCCCA First Team All-America in the distance medley relay, 2023 Outdoor USTFCCCA Second Team All-America in the 5,000 meters, 2024 Indoor USTFCCCA Second Team All-America in the 3,000 meters, multiple All-SEC selections, and USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete recognition in 2023.[2](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292)
## References
1. [Yaseen ABDALLA | Profile, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/sudan/yaseen-abdalla-14969014)
2. [Yaseen Abdalla - Track & Field Roster, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/yaseen-abdalla/19292)
3. [World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025, Results Handbook (Marathon Men Final), UzAthletics](https://en.uzathletics.uz/f/worldchamps-resultshandbook.pdf)
4. [Tennessee Track & Field 2023 Men's Outdoor Career Performances](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2023/5/10/2023_OTF_Men_s_Stats_5.8.pdf)
5. [Paris 2024 Official Athletics Results Book](https://iaafmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/misc/olympics/OG2024_ATHLETICS.pdf)
6. [Yaseen Abdalla | Arkansas Razorbacks roster](https://arkansasrazorbacks.com/roster/yaseen-abdalla-2/)
7. [Rocky Top Spotlight: Yaseen Abdalla, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/news/2023/2/10/track-field-rocky-top-spotlight-yaseen-abdalla)
8. [Yaseen Abdalla, TFRRS athlete page](https://m.tfrrs.org/athletes/7370341/Texas/Yaseen_Abdalla.html)
9. [NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships 2025 results](https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Indoor/2025/results.pdf)
10. [World Athletics Championships Oregon22, 5000 Metres Men Round 1 start list](https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitiondocuments/pdf/7137279/AT-5000-M-h----.SL2.pdf)
11. [Yaseen Abdalla - 2:13:32.00 Marathon, Tokyo World Championships 2025, athletic.net](https://www.athletic.net/result/AWiMzEMTELsvYBLzcN)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Athletes of track and field and road running › Middle and long-distance track runners*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license