Haftu Strintzos broke the Australian marathon record and became the first Australian man to win the Gold Coast Marathon in 20 years, in a remarkable run in crisp, sunny conditions on Sunday morning.
Not even an hour earlier, Cameron Myers had scored a dominant victory in the men’s mile at the prestigious Prefontaine Classic in the United States – and become the outright national record holder in the process.
Haftu Strintzos winning the Gold Coast Marathon in record-breaking time. Casey Sims/Oceania Athletics
The clock read 2:06:20 when Strintzos breasted the tape to win the Gold Coast Marathon.
In a gutsy and pulsating dash to the finish line, it was touch and go whether the Ethiopian-born Aussie would knock off Andy Buchanan’s national record.
He did by two seconds.
Buchanan ran 2:06:22 in the Valencia Marathon in 2024 to pinch the Australian record off Brett Robinson.
Robinson ran 2:07:31 in Japan’s Fukuoka Marathon in 2022 to take the record from Robert de Castella, who had held the mark since clocking 2:07:51 way back in 1986 at the Boston Marathon.
Strintzos didn’t only break the Australian record but the course record, smashing the 2:07:33 registered by Japan’s Yuki Takei last year.
Strintzos became the first Australian man to win the Gold Coast Marathon since Lee Troop in 2006.
Between 2007 and 2025, the men’s titles were won by Japanese, Kenyans and an Ethiopian.
Strintzos collapsed onto his back immediately beyond the finish, and put his hands on his head.
“The race was amazing and came together really well,” he said.
“I knew I was in pretty good shape coming into this after running under 61 minutes down in Launceston [in a half-marathon] a few weeks ago.
“It was just a matter of showing up on the day and getting it down on paper. It all came together for me today, and I’m super excited about it.”
He said it felt “amazing” to be the first Australian man to have won the Gold Coast Marathon since 2006.
“I’m glad to put the Aussies back up there where they should be, and I’m super excited,” Strintzos said.
Less than an hour earlier, in the iconic Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, Myers had crushed a stacked field to win in 3:46.06.
Cameron Myers winning the Bowerman Mile. Getty
Myers, who only turned 20 last month, was a comfortable winner in a field featuring reigning Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker, and Olympic silver medallists Yared Nuguse and Timothy Cheruiyot.
The Canberran previously held the national mile record jointly with Olli Hoare, having clocked 3:47.48 in an indoor race in New York City in 2025.
Myers is now the ninth-fastest miler in history. He leapfrogged British legend Steve Cram.
“I just ran hard. I think that gave me the best probability to win. So it turned out great,” Myers said.
“I feel like I’ve ticked off the times, so I’ll just turn my focus to winning the races, and that was the mindset I had today.”
Myers’ win at the Prefontaine Classic, which doubles as the Eugene Diamond League, follows a 1500m victory at the Paris Diamond League days earlier.
The young phenom is set for a mouthwatering battle against Cheruiyot and Britons Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman, both of whom are former 1500m world champions, in the mile at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.