The story of the Australian-Ethiopian runner with the Greek name

The story of the Australian-Ethiopian runner, Haftu Strintzos who was adopted by a Melbourne-based Greek family

Haftu Strintzos with his mother, Maria

Haftu Strintzos was born and raised in Ethiopia and has a gift for distance running.

Always on the move, in June he will participate with the Australian National Team in the 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships in Suva, Fiji, competing in the 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters running events.

A few months ago, Haftu and his team competed in the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, where Australia finished fifth

He was born in Tigray, Ethiopia, an area that has been at war since November 2020, with a significant but underreported death toll of over 600,000 people, and the destruction of 75 percent of Tigray’s schools and health facilities.

Haftu Strintzos with his Australian Team at the World Cross Country Champion in Belgrade, Serbia

He has lived in Australia for about 10 years now and his athletic career began in primary school at Oakleigh South Primary School, and then continued at Haileybury College in Keysborough.

His teachers encouraged him to run, and he joined the Oakleigh Little Athletics Club, and then the Glenhuntly Athletics Club.

He later represented his schools in the State Championships and progressed to senior levels.

Haftu recently competed in the World Cross-Country Championships in Serbia, finishing 23rd in the World individually and first among the Australian team, which placed fifth overall.

Maria Strintzos wrote that in 2007, orphaned Haffie Strintzos was 8 years old, and was identified by the Tigray Social Affairs Office as urgently needing her support. Haftu didn't speak English and did not know what electricity was. Fourteen years later, her son Haftu, graduated with a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, from Villanova University School of Engineering in PA., USA.

After finishing High School in 2018, he began studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania, USA.

He received a full student-athlete scholarship which included representing his university’s athletics department across U.S. college tournaments.

Haftu told SBS Greek that he was adopted into a Greek Australian family and came to Australia in 2011.

His mother is Maria Strintzos, who was an aid worker in Ethiopia for more than two decades.

Haftu Strintzos with his Greek grand-father Vassili

It was challenging when he arrived in Australia due to the language barrier.

He struggled with English in the beginning, but now he is in a much better place as he told SBS Greek.

Haftu lives in Melbourne's southeastern suburb of Bentleigh East which is a stone-throw from Oakleigh, home to thousands of Melburnian-Greeks.

His grandfather Bill, or Vassilis in Greek, who only speaks to him in Greek, is helping him learn the language.

Haftu Strintzos

Haftu's family maintains connections with Melbourne’s Tigrayan African community, and they often visit or host family friends.

He misses Ethiopian food, that's why they visit restaurants offering authentic African cuisine in Melbourne's western suburbs.

Track events like the 5,000 and 10,000 meters can qualify you for the Olympics, but they’re not held in Australia during winter. Athletes are heading to Europe or the U.S. for the summer track season before the qualification period ends in June.

Soon, he will participate in the Oceania Athletics Championships and the event will take place in Fiji from 1-6 June.