MSUM Alum Nadir Yusuf Qualifies for 2024 Olympic Team Trials
MOORHEAD, Minn. — MSU Moorhead track & field great Nadir Yusuf has added another bullet point to his impressive resumé as Yusuf has qualified for the 2024 United States Track & Field Olympic Team Trials in the marathon.
Running in his first-ever marathon (26.2 miles) at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, on June 17, Yusuf clocked a completing time of 2:15.27. The United States Olympic Team Trials require a standard time of 2:18 in the marathon to qualify. Competitors can qualify at any point between January 1, 2022 until December 5, 2023. To date, the top marathon time in America stands at 2:08.16 by Connor Mantz at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Yusuf becomes the fourth MSUM track & field alumni to qualify for the United States Olympic Trials, joining Dragon greats Dave Bergstrom (high jump, 1980), Kelly Mortenson (marathon, 2000) and Chris Nulle (hammer throw, 2004).
Yusuf was a multi-time NSIC champion for the Dragons, having won the conference’s outdoor 5000m (2019, 2021), indoor 3000m (2020), indoor 5000m (2021, 2022) and 10,0000m (2021, 2022) crowns. He was a two-time All-American in the 10,000m for the Dragons and still possesses school records in the indoor 3000m, indoor 5000m, outdoor 3000m and the 10,0000m. Yusuf also owns the top cross country 10k time in MSUM history (30:12.60).
The United States Track & Field Olympic Team Trials for the marathon will take place on February 3, 2024 in Orlando, Florida.