MSU’s 800m Trio Set to Compete Against Each Other for First Time

EUGENE, Ore. – One event, three Bulldogs. Not just any three, but the top three runners in Mississippi State men's outdoor 800m history. Canadians Marco Arop and Brandon McBride will meet Jamaica's current Bulldog, Navasky Anderson, at the starting line on Wednesday night, July 20, at 7:20 p.m. CT in the qualifying round of the World Championships.

Forty-two other participants will meet the MSU trio in the qualifying races. There will be six heats in the opening round. The top three runners of each heat will automatically advance along with the next six fastest times to for Thursday's semifinal race.

Anderson and McBride will race head-to-head, looking to grab two of the third heat's three automatic qualifying spots. Arop will end the night for State in the fifth heat.

For one Bulldog in particular, Hayward Field is a track known all too well. Just one month ago, Anderson ran the most historic race of his career – a performance that not only awarded him national runner-up, but a run that also saw Jamaica's national 800m record fall after having stood untouched for 45 years. Ranked as the top Jamaican runner in the event, the two people standing between him and an MSU school record are the very two he'll be competing against at the World Athletics Championships.

Arop, the man who holds a hat trick of MSU records (freshman 800m, indoor 800m, outdoor 800m), is already used to the international stage. The Canadian indoor national record holder made his Olympic debut last summer (Tokyo 2020) where his campaign ended in the semifinal. As a two-time NCAA runner-up, including once at Hayward Field, gold medalist at the 2019 Pan American Games and finalist at the 2019 World Championships, Arop is no stranger to the international meets.

For the nine-time All-American and two-time Olympian (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), McBride is also familiar with the setting, having won an NCAA title on the Hayward Field track in 2014. It was McBride's indoor and outdoor records Arop had to break to secure the top MSU spot. Where Arop holds the Canadian indoor national record, McBride holds the Canadian outdoor record. The pair is one-two in MSU history, and currently one-two in Canadian history.

While Anderson (third), Arop (first) and McBride (second) have all made themselves known in the outdoor school record book, there's one more name that catches the eye among the pages. On the indoor side of history, Arop and McBride hold the fastest and second-fastest 800m times, respectively. Sitting in fourth? None other than former Bulldog turned head coach of the Maroon and White, Chris Woods.

Wednesday night will mark the first time in MSU history that State's top three outdoor 800m runners compete against each other in an international meet. All that will be asked of them is to do what they've already done, successfully, as a Bulldog: run their race.

The evening races can be streamed via the Peacock streaming service. More broadcast information can be found by NBC Sports. Nearly-live results will be available at World Athletics, along with MSU's World Championships Hub and social media feeds.

Quick Dawg Bites

Navasky Anderson (Jamaica)
Personal Best: 1:45.02 (June 10) | Season Best: 1:45.02 (June 10) | World Rankings: 72^nd World, 1^st JAM

Marco Arop (Canada)
Personal Best: 1:43.26 (July 9, 2021) | Season Best: 1:43.61 (July 3) | World Rankings: 4^th World, 1^st CAN

Brandon McBride (Canada)
Personal Best: 1:43.20 (July 20, 2018) | Season Best: 1:45.15 (June 25) | World Rankings: 42^nd World, 2^nd CAN

Worlds 800m Schedule (all times CT)

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Mississippi State University Athletics

MSU’s 800m Trio Set to Compete Against Each Other for First Time

Players Mentioned

Navasky Anderson

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