Poll: How old are Cheserek and Futsum?

why do you think they're 20?

Futsum is so old, edward is a little old

both are 18

Cheserek: 27

Futsum: 24

Haile Solomon: 43

2007 USATF Junior Olympics XC.

Futsum 23rd in Intermediate Boys race with a birth year of 92.

http://www.usatf.org/events/2007/USATFJuniorOlympicXCChampionships/results/national/Intermediate.asp

Youth Boys race. Lukas, birth year of 93, wins. So, Futsum is apparently older than Lukas.

http://www.usatf.org/events/2007/USATFJuniorOlympicXCChampionships/results/national/Youth.asp

They are both at least 20 years old.

Just because American distance kids are slow and lazy does not mean African distance kids are old.

I have met and been around Futsum many times. He acts and looks like a normal high schooler. I have also watched him since middle school when he was an "average" runner. He got beat by a lot of white kids so its not like he was 15 or 16 when he was in middle school. You can see a noticable maturity from his freshman year to now just like you would see in all teenagers. I would say he is 18-19 at the oldest...normal for H.S. He is an all around good kid and a smart competitor.

I cant speak for Cheserek though...

Younger than Lukas V was when he was a junior in High School

I dont care how fast he runs. He came here what, a couple years ago? Is he even a US citizen? He's no more american than the coffee mug I am drinking out of that was made in china. I would love to see proof of his age. Never thought the day would come when Footlocker would need a division for top american. At least the typical non-runner could get behind Marc Davis by being able to read an article and pronounce his name afterward. How many folks at the water cooler monday will be talking of the exploits of that "cheese-ez-er-uk?" kid from kenya? I didnt know this was an international competition. No wonder nobody cares about competetive running anymore. We have allowed it to be overtaken by foreigners. If we started sending athletes from different sports to invade kenyan sports they would end up beheaded, or lynched.

kenyans ruined our sport wrote:

If we started sending athletes from different sports to invade kenyan sports they would end up beheaded, or lynched.

You mean like all those mzungu 'managers' and 'coaches' who go over there and 'help' all of those Kenyans run really quickly? Meanwhile, in their own countries, they can't get their compatriots to do the same. Those guys seem to be doing okay for themselves. Seems like a pretty lucrative business - easier than trying to turn a 13 twentysomething guy into a world-class runner. Haven't heard of any of those mzungus ending up beheaded.

[quote]kenyans ruined our sport wrote:

I dont care how fast he runs. He came here what, a couple years ago? Is he even a US citizen? He's no more american than the coffee mug I am drinking out of that was made in china. I would love to see proof of his age. Never thought the day would come when Footlocker would need a division for top american.

I don't recall thes same objection being raised when the non-American citizen, over-aged Lukas V was dominating last year.

Now what could be the difference?

Lazy whining Americans are ruining your sport. If the adults would tell their kids to work harder instead of showing them the way to make excuses for themselves, the sport would be a lot better off. Futsum finished 8th as a freshman and then went away and worked harder to put himself in a position to win. Edward lost to Verzbicas last year, went away and made himself a better runner. American high schoolers have to run against foreigners in the NCAA; they should be thrilled to race against them at the high school level since it serves to prepare them for what\'s to come. I recall Matt Withrow and Galen Rupp beating Shadrack at Footlocker, and I can think of a bunch of foreign-born athletes in recent times who have not won Footlocker. Fact is, people like Gerry Lindgren and Jim Ryun and Steve Prefontaine would have loved to have run against kids like Cheserek and Futsum in high school. They wouldn\'t have adopted defeatist posture of today\'s sad, old xenophobes.

Quote: Lazy whining Americans are ruining your sport. If the adults would tell their kids to work harder instead of showing them the way to make excuses for themselves, the sport would be a lot better off. End Quote

BS. Period. No other country in the WORLD allows elite athletes, whose ages are indeterminate, to come in to their country at the college level, no less the high school level, as is happening in the US, most recently exemplified by Cheserek at the high school level, and Lalang at the college level. This is unethical and is destroying the very fabric of amateur high school and college running in the U.S. Non-U.S. runners should not be permitted to run in the U.S. high school or college scene, end of story. And, the coaches like the one at St Benedicts high school, or at the college level who try to stack their teams by trolling the globe for professional-level ringers should be ashamed of themselves and villified by the US running community. Can you imagine the thoughts of the high school coaches in New Jersey who build their teams based on the luck of the draw in their communities having to put up with the St Benedicts of the world that have no ehtical construct in their recruiting activities? The USATF MUST step in and put a stop to this before our amateur sports scene in the U.S. becomes a complete charade. Am I wrong? Serious response only, please.

Ridiculous. Who are we competing against when we race for medals? The very same people we race against on our roads colleges and high schools. Do you really think if we cant compete against them in college we can beat them in the olympics.

You are a bitter loser. You would spend your time better by suggesting that the team mates can learn from these African athletes while they run with them.

The reality is we are a nation of immigrants. Who are you to say all recent African immigrants can't race at Footlocker? We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of African kids winning regionals and nationals.

Get over it. How many of our professional teams have foreigners playing on them? Is that really fair? Is that then really a team that represents a city, like LA or Chicago?

And how about our so called World Champion teams? Who else do they compete against to become "World" Champion?

Lastly, this is amateur running...do you really think anyone cares?

Crazy question.

Are either of these guys even US citizens? I don't believe their stated ages, but the point is moot without any proof.

If they are not citizens, they have no place in this race (in my opinion). It's meant to be the US HS Cross Country championship.

And any HS records set by non-citizens should be null and void.

I thought Lukas wasn't a US citizen, if he isn't a citizen he shouldn't hold any US HS records. That's my opinion.

And honestly, these guys look 20-22 years old. If they are not they're some of the oldest looking teenagers I have ever seen.

Let the whiny bitches have their thread. They are either trolls and/or won't ever amount to anything running or career related, so we could at least let them have their pity party of a thread.

Yeeah I swear this has to be just 1 or 2 people switching screennames to bitch. Calm the hell down, its freaking high school cross country, so what. What is the problem with a kenyan running in it anyway. I can understand the problem people had with solomon haile as he was documented as being older than people but beyond that he had technically been competing as a professional.

Cheserek hasn't done this and I just do not see the big deal. If you can't prove he or futsum are over 18 or 19 then shut the hell up. Going by "oh well they look like they are at least 20 or 22" is literally the most retarded argument.

Like people have said, Webb looked like he was in his 20s when he was in high school but obviously wasn't.

And for the last damn time, Lukas left school early!! If he had stayed for this year, yes he would have been older than other people, but he left after his JUNIOR YEAR! He was born in 93. Jeesh.

Tommy2Nuttz wrote:

The reality is we are a nation of immigrants. Who are you to say all recent African immigrants can't race at Footlocker? We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of African kids winning regionals and nationals.

No, the vast majority of American citizens are not immigrants.