Mehdi Baala (Arabic: مهدي بعلة; born 17 August 1978 in Strasbourg) is a French middle-distance runner competing mainly in the 1500 metres event.

At the 2007 World Championships in Osaka in 2007, he finished first in his 1500 metres semi-final heat but was disqualified for causing the fall of two other athletes.

He had initially finished in fourth place in the final once again, but the initial winner Rashid Ramzi was stripped of his gold medal when he was found guilty of doping and hence Baala was elevated to receive the bronze medal.

On 22 July 2011, immediately after the 1500m race of the Monaco meeting of the IAAF Diamond League, Baala and his fellow competitor and compatriot Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad traded blows on the track.

Baala and Mekhissi-Benabbad were nevertheless cleared to take part in the upcoming 2011 World Championships[4][5] Note: Only the position and time in the final are indicated, unless otherwise stated; if the athlete did not qualify for the final, the overall position and time in the first round heats or semifinals are indicated.