Futsum Zienasellassie
Futsum Zienasellassie (Ge'ez: ፉፁም ዜናሥላሴ; born 16 December 1992) is an Eritrean-American long distance runner. After running for North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, Zienasellassie ran for Northern Arizona University. He has competed professionally for the Hoka One One Northern Arizona Elite team since 2017.[1] Early lifeFutsum Zienasellassie was born in modern-day Eritrea (at the time a territory under Ethiopia) and was at a refugee camp in Ethiopia before moving to the United States at the age of 14.[2][3] Zienasellassie's father is a priest in the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. He has three brothers and four sisters. Zienasellassie was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in January 2016. Running careerHigh schoolWhile attending North Central High School, Futsum Zienasellassie qualified for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships three times, finishing 7th, 2nd, and 2nd. Zienasellassie also claimed the 2011 Nike Cross Nationals individual title in 15:02, outdistancing runner-up Daniel Vertiz by 24 seconds. He also won 7 IHSAA State titles in Cross Country and Track. As a senior, Zienasellassie claimed the Indiana cross country state record for 5000 Meters in 14:36 at the Flashrock Invitational on September 17, 2011 along with the Indiana State record at 3200 meters on the track in 8:47.75. During this time he was coached by both Byron Simpson And Rick Stover as the head coach. [4] CollegiateZienasellassie began attending Northern Arizona University in the fall of 2012. During his freshman cross country season he finished 31st at the NCAA Cross Country Championships with a time of 29:54.10. In 2013 Zienasellasie returned to the NCAA Cross Country Championships to finish 4th as a sophomore in 30:05.7 followed by a 3rd place showing as a junior in 30:25.3, and rounding out his cross country eligibility with a 4th place showing as a senior in 29:49.8. In 2015, Futsum Zienasellassie set two Eritrean indoor track records in the 5000 m and 800 meters. Futsum Zienasellassie is a 8-time NCAA Division I All-American, and 7-time Big Sky Conference champion.[5]
Post Collegiate/ProfessionalFutsum Zienasellassie was sponsored by COROS and trained with McKirdy Trained in Flagstaff, Arizona from 2017-2022.[7] On 16 April 2023, Zienasellassie ran 2:09:40 in the Rotterdam marathon finishing 11th overall and becoming the 25th American to break 2:10 in the Marathon.[11] Personal bestsZienasellassie's personal bests are:[12]
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