From African shepherd to Australia's marathon record holder
Australian long-distance runner, Haftu Strintzos, shares his "double life" from being a barefoot shepherd in Ethiopia to claiming the national marathon record on just his fourth attempt.
Haftu Strintzos, Australia's men's marathon record holder, hails from eastern Tigray in northern Ethiopia. Growing up in a remote village, he spent his early years herding goats and sheep through the mountains, barefoot, from dawn to dusk. Haftu's life took an unexpected turn when Maria Strintzos, a Greek-Australian aid worker, adopted him at the age of eight.
After decades working across Ethiopia, Maria brought Haftu to Melbourne in 2011, more than 12,000 kilometers away from his mountainous home. Haftu, now 27, speaks five languages, holds a Master of Electrical Engineering from Villanova University in the USA, and has recently broken the national marathon record. Maria, who grew up in South Melbourne in the 1960s, witnessed social injustice and inequality firsthand, and has dedicated her life to aid work in the Horn of Africa.
Haftu's innate talent for electricity and his resilience in the face of adversity have led him to excel in athletics, becoming the first Australian winner in 20 years at the Gold Coast Marathon in 2019.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
