Isaac Nader
Isaac Nader is a Portuguese middle-distance runner specialising in the 1500 m. He is the 2025 [World Athletics Championships - Men's 1500 metres|2025 World Champion] in the 1500 m, and the Portuguese records in athletics|Portuguese record holder] in the 800 m, 1500 m and mile, both indoors and outdoors.
He was the 2021 Portuguese indoor champion in the 1500 and 3000 m, and won the 3000 m at the 2021 [European Athletics Team Championships] in Chorzów. In 2025, Nader won a bronze medal in the 1500 m at the European Indoor Championships. In September 2025, he became 2025 [World Athletics Championships|world champion in the 1500 metres]. He holds the Portuguese records both indoors and outdoors, in the 800 m, 1500 m and mile. At club level, Nader represents S.L. Benfica.
Career
2021–2023: Early success
In 2021, Nader won over 1500 m and 3000 m at the Portuguese Indoor Championships. He competed at the European Indoor Championships in Toruń, going out in the heats of the 1500 m and 3000 m. In May, he won the 3000 m at the European Team Championships Super League in Chorzów, whilst also placing fifth in the 1500 m. Nader set a new 1500 m personal best of 3:37.01 in finishing second behind Ismael Debjani at the Meeting Iberoamericano on 3 June. At the European U23 Championships, he won a bronze medal in the 1500 m, running a time of 3:40.58.The following year, Nader retained his 1500 m title at the Portuguese Indoor Championships. At the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, he made the final of the 1500 m, finishing tenth. In July, at the World Championships in Eugene, he went out in the heats of the 1500 m.
Nader set a new 1500 m personal best of 3:34.00 in winning at the Meeting Iberoamericano on 6 June 2023. He further improved his personal best to 3:31.67 at the Meeting Stanislas Nancy on 18 June, finishing second behind Reynold Cheruiyot. On 16 July, he finished seventh at the Silesia Diamond League, in a personal best of 3:31.49. At the World Championships in Budapest, Nader made the final of the 1500 m, finishing twelfth.
2024–2025: World 1500 m champion and European Indoor bronze
In 2024, Nader set a new national record in the short track 1500 m, running 3:34.23 to win at the Czech Indoor Gala on 30 January. At the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, he finished fourth in the 1500 m final. On 30 May, he improved his 1500 m personal best to 3:30.84 in finishing fourth at the Oslo Diamond League. In June, he competed at the European Championships in Rome, finishing tenth in the final of the 1500 m. At the Olympics in Paris, he made the 1500 m semi-finals.Nader broke his own short track 1500 m national record at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais on 13 February, running 3:32.59 to finish second behind Azeddine Habz. He won a bronze medal over 1500 m at the European Indoor Championships, running a time of 3:37.10 in the final. At the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, he finished fourth in the 1500 m.
On 12 June 2025, Nader won his first Diamond League, winning at the Bislett Games over the mile, setting a new Portuguese national record of 3:48.25. He set a new 800 m national record of 1:43.86 in winning the at the Reunion Internacional Ciudad de Guadalajara on 18 June. He also broke the Portuguese 1500 m national record by running a time of 3:29.37, his first time under the 3:30 barrier, to finish second behind Phanuel Koech at the Golden Spike Ostrava. He won over 1500 m at the European Team Championships First Division in Madrid, running a time of 3:39.08. On 19 July, he finished third at the London Diamond League, running a time of 3:31.55.
At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Nader was the shock gold medallist in the 1500 m, narrowly beating Jake Wightman on the line to claim his first major title. Following the final, he stated "I'm happy to make history for our country, to be another Portuguese medalist at the World Championships. I'm so happy, I still can't quite believe it". In his first race since the title, Nader won the road mile at the XXXVII Milla Internacional de Berango on 11 October in 4:17.
Personal bests
All information from World Athletics profile.| Type | Event | Time | Date | Place | Notes |
| Outdoor | 800 metres | 1:43.86 | 18 June 2025 | Guadalajara, Spain | |
| Outdoor | 1500 metres | 3:29.37 | 24 June 2025 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | |
| Outdoor | Mile | 3:48.25 | 12 June 2025 | Oslo, Norway | |
| Indoor | 800 metres | 1:46.18 | 23 February 2025 | Pombal, Portugal | |
| Indoor | 1500 metres | 3:32.59 | 13 February 2025 | Lievin, France | |
| Indoor | Mile | 3:54.17 | 4 February 2025 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | |
| Indoor | 3000 metres | 7:53.40 | 2 March 2022 | Madrid, Spain |