Charles Gitonga ranks among the best sprinters Kenya has ever produced. His personal best of 44.20 in the 400m, recorded in Nairobi,\u00a0 is the second fastest ever by a Kenyan. No European has ever run that fast. As we write this article, the European record stands at 44.33.<\/p>\n
His moment of Glory came in the 400m at the 1994 Commonwealth games. Entering the final, Gitonga was not expected to win a medal, much less the gold. He had barely qualified for the final, finishing fourth in the semi-finals. He was in lane 8 which is arguably the worst lane to run a quarter-mile.<\/p>\n
The heavy favourite was Du’aine Ladejo of England. In 1994, Ladejo won the European indoor and outdoor titles. Another favourite was Sunday Bada of Nigeria who had been a finalist at the 1993 World Championships and the silver medalist at the 1993 world indoor championships. But Gitonga had other ideas.<\/p>\n