Haftu Strintzos sets Australian marathon record — ABC News Australia
In Australia, track-and-field athlete Haftu Strintzos set a national record in the men's marathon, covering the distance in 2 hours 6 minutes 20 seconds at the Gold Coast Marathon in July. In his fourth marathon, he also broke the course record, set an Oceania record and became the first Australian to win the race in 20 years, ABC News Australia reports.
From Tigray to Melbourne
Strintzos was born in eastern Tigray in northern Ethiopia. As a child, he herded goats and sheep in the mountains and lived without television or running water. By the age of six, Haftu had lost both of his biological parents, after which he was raised by his grandmother along with his aunt and cousins.
In 2007, he met Greek-Australian humanitarian worker Maria Strintzos, who had worked in Ethiopia for many years. She adopted the boy and helped him move to Melbourne in 2011. The athlete said that he considers his life privileged and feels as though he has lived a “double life.”
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After moving, he studied successfully, earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University in the United States and learned five languages: Tigrinya, Amharic, Greek, Japanese and English.
Training and international goals
Strintzos began running in Australia after a physical education teacher noticed his abilities during a school cross-country race. He now trains up to 190 kilometers a week under Adam Didyk, who has coached the athlete remotely from Adelaide for two years.
The coach described Strintzos as a calm, thoughtful and self-confident athlete capable of setting difficult goals. The marathon runner himself plans to compete at the 2027 World Championships in China and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. His goal is to reach the Olympic podium and continue setting records.
