George Mutinda still remembers the sting of Tokyo. The national 400-metre champion, who only made his international debut at the World Championships this year, fell short of the semi-finals. Yet, for the 22-year-old sprinter, the experience has lit a fire rather than dimmed it.
“My target is the Commonwealth Games for next year, and I believe Tokyo has prepared me for that,” Mutinda told reporters this week.
Mutinda, who clocked 45.07 seconds in his heat to finish fifth, was Kenya’s fastest man in the one-lap event, ahead of teammates Kelvin Kipkorir and Brian Tinega. None of the three advanced, but Mutinda took solace in being the standout performer.
“I worked too much on strength this season and came to find out that I didn’t have enough speed when it mattered most,” he admitted. “Next year, I want to work more on my speed.”
The lessons were humbling. In Tokyo, Mutinda came face to face with sprinters who ran his personal best—44.51 seconds—just to qualify from the heats. “I met the world’s best athletes and realised I need to improve to compete with them,” he said.
His ambitions for 2026 are bold. Mutinda wants to dip into the 43-second bracket, or at worst, finish consistently in the high 44s. “It’s something I am really keen on working on,” he added, noting that proper strength and conditioning, including gym work he has so far neglected, will be critical.
The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are not his only focus. Mutinda also hopes to secure a place at the World Relays in Botswana next May, having already featured in Kenya’s 4x400m relay team in Tokyo. That quartet, which included David Sanayek, Dennis Masika and Kipkorir, missed out on the final with a time of 3:00.76.
For Mutinda, the path ahead is clear. The disappointment of Tokyo has become the foundation for bigger dreams. “I believe Tokyo gave me a good experience, and I know there’s a lot of space for improvement for me,” he said.
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