Haftu Strintzos
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| Born | 27 August 1999 Tigray, Ethiopia | |||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||
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| College team | Villanova University | |||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Adam Didyk | |||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Haftu Strintzos (born 27 August) is an Ethiopian-born Australian long-distance runner. He broke the Australian national record in the marathon at the 2026 Gold Coast Marathon and also set a new Oceanian area record.
Personal life
Haftu was born in northern Tigray in Ethiopia where he spent his early days as a shepherd, herding goats and sheep through the mountains of his local village. He lost both his parents by age six and was taken in by his maternal grandmother and aunts and uncles. In 2007 he met a Greek-Australian aid worker named Maria Strintzos who eventually asked him if he would like to be her son. He consented and she adopted him and brought him to Melbourne in 2011. He excelled in school and eventually attended Villanova University where he ran track and cross country. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2023 and a master's degree in 2024 both in electrical engineering.
Career
Following the conclusion of his NCAA years with Villanova, Strintzos' first breakout was at the 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships where he placed first in the men's 10k and second in the men's 5k. The following year he made his marathon major debut running the Sydney Marathon in its inaugural year as a major marathon and he placed 14th.
In 2026, Haftu Strintzos won the Gold Coast Marathon running a time of 2:06:20. This time broke the Australian national record, the Oceanian area record, and the Gold Coast Marathon course record. He then went on to win the Australian Cross Country Championships which took place in Victoria Park. Later in November, he ran the 2026 New York City Marathon and placed fifth which allowed him to qualify for the 2028 Olympics which will be in Los Angeles.
References
- ↑ "Haftu STRINTZOS". World Athletics. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
- ↑ "My path has been defined by running: The remarkable story of Australian marathon record holder Haftu Strintzos". Australian Athletics. 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Peck, Damien (2026-09-17). "Haftu Strintzos's remarkable journey from shepherd to marathon record holder". Australian Broadcasting Company.
- ↑ "Haftu Strintzos". Villanova Athletics. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
- ↑ "Moloney maintains upward trajectory at Oceania Championships". World Athletics. 2024-06-05.
- ↑ Carveth, Jessy (2026-07-07). "Haftu Strintzos Is Now the Fastest Australian Marathoner in History". Marathon Handbook.
- ↑ "Strintzos and Campbell take out the big wins in tough conditions at the Australian Athletics Cross Country Championships". Australian Athletics. 2026-08-26.
- ↑ Coventry, James (2026-11-01). "Australia's Haftu Strintzos takes giant step towards Olympics with fifth in New York Marathon". Australian Broadcasting Company.
