NAIROBI, Kenya, June 27, 2025 – Despite sealing qualification for the World Championships in Tokyo, George Mutinda is not resting on his laurels just yet.
The Kenya Police sprinter admits there are facets of his game, which he needs to improve on for more success.
“Getting the qualifying time for the World Championships fills me with confidence that I can do even better if I put in more effort. I need to polish on my start and that’s what I will do next,” Mutinda said.
Mutinda earned qualification in style, clocking 44.51 to win the men’s 400m at the Athletics Kenya (AK) National Championships at the Ulinzi Sports Complex on Friday afternoon.
Brian Tinega finished second in 44.67 as Kevin Kipkorir came third in 44.80 — the duo also sealing their tickets to the World Championships.
Mutinda described the win as a just reward for the hard yards he has been putting in training.
“I feel good…I had planned to do my best having trained for one year. I improved on my endurance and it paid off. It means a lot for me,” he said.
On the other hand, Tinega was relieved to have performed better than Day One of the championships when he clocked 44.99.
“I feel so excited to qualify for the World Championships. I didn’t give up after clocking 44:99 yesterday and that’s why I did it today. The competition was not easy but the good thing is we have all qualified,” he said.
He added: “I want to work on my speed endurance and probably we’ll break the national record of Kenya.”
The trio will be clashing again at the national trials for Tokyo on August 1-2.
