Four boys have won back-to-back to Foot Locker National Championships: Grant Fisher, Edward Cheserek, Lukas Verzbicas, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Abdirizak Mohamud.
Most of those names should sound familiar. The last one however, may not.
Mohamud, of Boston English High School in Massachusetts, didn’t even win his Divisional Meet in 1996. So who is Abdirizak Mohamud? How did he become the first boy’s double champ in Foot Locker Championship history?
Mohamud’s story is the stuff of legend. He came to the US as a refugee from Somalia and didn’t start running until his Junior year in 1996. That season, he finished second four times to all-time great Jonathan Riley of Brookline. At the 1996 Eastern Massachusetts Championships at Franklin Park, Mohamud finished second to Riley in 15:48. He would finish second again at Northfield Mountain at the State Championships and again at Van Courtland Park at the Northeast Regional. In the Bronx, Mohamud closed the gap significantly finishing only four seconds back on Riley.
A few weeks later, at Balboa Park in San Diego, Mohamud would pull off one of the biggest upsets of all time, topping not only Riley, but superstar Sharif Karie as well. He also topped future National Champions Jorge Torres and Steve Slattery.
The next fall he would win the divisional race in 15:36 at Franklin Park. The following week was the infamous snow race where he covered the snow-covered course in 16:39. He would return to the National Championships the following year, this time at Disney World Oak Trail Golf Course, to win again in 15:22, topping both Torres brothers and Slattery.
Not much else is known about Abdirizak Mohamud’s running career. He won the 800m at the 1998 Outdoor All State Meet.
He would eventually mentor fellow Massachusetts standout Said Ahmed at Boston English. Ahmed would set the New England record for 1000m (Since broken by Marcus Reilly) and then run for the University of Arkansas. He would run professionally for Nike and run an all-time best of 3:35.94 for 1500m
What is indisputable is Abdirizak Mohamud’s legacy. He shocked the running world in 1996 and cemented his place in history in 1997. Mohamud is without a doubt a true legend of the sport.
