You can't miss taking a second look at his name. And you still might struggle in pronouncing it. That said, his rivals simply call him "bigfoot."
"I don't know why (Big Foot). I only wear a size 10," said Futsum Zeinasellasie. He says to "say my name slowly and pronounce it like ‘foot some Zena Sue Lassie.' It's really not that hard."
If you think his name is difficult, his parents are Meleakesellam Zeinasellassie and Leteberhan Behre.
His name grabs plenty of attention, but it's his running ability that has many learning to say it correctly. Some simply call him a "running machine." Others refer to him as a "winning machine."
A junior at
North Central (Indianapolis), Zeinasellassie burst onto the track scene when he placed second at the Midwest Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, then second at the Foot Lockers Nationals.
The Foot Locker races were his only "losses" of the 2010 cross country season. He won his 11 other races, set four course records in the process and claimed the Indiana state cross country title for 5,000 meters.
"Futsum's undefeated regular season this year was a tremendous feat considering the number of solid great runners the state produced," said coach Rich Stover. "Over the past couple of years, Futsum has learned a tremendous amount on how to race and how to compete. He picks his battles wisely and makes sure that he knows his competition. He definitely has become a true student of the sport."
Stover added that he can't wait for Zeinasellassie's cross country senior year.
Zeinasellassie's sophomore season was almost as impressive as his junior season. The 5-foot-8, 142-pounder won nine times, finished first at state, set three course records and was fourth at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional and seventh at the Foot Locker Nationals.
In 12 races as a freshman, he won 10, and was runnerup at state. Zeinasellassie won every race until the state meet. At the start of the Indiana state championship race, another runner stepped on his shoe and gave him a flat tire. Futsum had to pull to the side and fix his shoe, costing him about 10 seconds. He eventually finished second with a 15:02 clocking, the best ever by an Indiana freshman.
"He probably would have won," says Stover. "He gave everyone a 200-meter head start and still almost pulled it out."
He has run less than 15 minutes three times with a best of 14:47. He also won the Indiana outdoor track 3,200 title as a freshman and sophomore and is a heavy favorite to win it again this spring. Despite a very strong field, he won the 2010 title by more than 10 seconds.
"I hate to lose. I like to win. I run to win," said Zeinasellassie.
But Zeinasellassie says the desire to win isn't his motivation in wanting to run fast. He wants to earn a college scholarship. He wants colleges to notice him.
Continue reading
