Srinivasa Gowda Gowda, who has been a Kambala jockey for a long time, took just 13.62 seconds to cover the distance at the race at Aikala village about 30 kilometres away from Mangalore. (Photo Credit: Twitter)
New Delhi:
Srinivasa Gowda broke the internet with his feat during a buffalo-racing competition in which he broke Usain Bolt's world record in the 100 meters. The feat of Srinivasa Gowda became sensational on social media with many people requesting the government's intervention in taking him under their wing. Looking at the achivement, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju had offered him a trail at Sports Authority of India (SAI) and had even provided him a rail ticket. However, according to a report in the New Indian Express, Srinivasa Gowda will not be traveling to the SAI Center in Bengaluru and will instead continue taking part in the Kambala races scheduled till March 10.
According to a News18 report, Gowda will meet Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday. "In Kambala race, heels play an important role whereas it is toes in a track race. Not just jockeys, but even Buffaloes have a role to play in Kambala. In track race, this is not the case," Gowda told the New Indian Express. Gowda's feat of running 100 meters in 9.55 seconds, which was 0.03 seconds quicker than Usain Bolt's tally of 9.58 seconds, took India by storm.
Srinivasa Gowda, who is a school dropout and who works as a construction labourer, began pursuing the Kambala passion five to six years ago. (Image credit: Twitter)
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and the BJP General National Secretary P Muralidhar Rao had stepped up and offered Srinivasa Gowda the chance to train at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) under top coaches following his exploits. To this, Rijiju replied, "Yes @PMuralidharRao ji. Officials from SAI have contacted him. His rail ticket is done and he will reach SAI centre on monday. I will ensure top national coaches to conduct his trials properly. We are team @narendramodi ji and will do everything to identity sporting talents!" Following his feat in the Kambala Buffalo race, Srinivasa Gowda spoke to ANI and humbly said that there is no comparison. "People are comparing me to Usain Bolt. He is a world champion, I am only running in a slushy paddy field," Gowda said. Apparently, Gowda, who hails from Mudbidri, Mangaluru ran 142.5 meters in 13.62 seconds at a buffalo race (Kambala) in a paddy field on Feb 1 in Kadri.
According to a report in the Indian Express, Gowda, who has been a Kambala jockey for a long time, took just 13.62 seconds to cover the distance at the race at Aikala village about 30 kilometres away from Mangalore. The report said Gowda is on a record-breaking spree during the current Kambala season by bagging 29 prizes in the 12 Kambalas he participated in during the current season. He created a new record by winning prizes in all four categories at the Aikala event which is a first in the history of Kambala. In a couple of other Kambala events, he won three prizes each.
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The report further stated that Gowda, who is a school dropout and who works as a construction labourer, began pursuing the Kambala passion five to six years ago. Kambala jockeys get a remuneration of Rs 1-2 lakh to train buffaloes and take part in competitions for a season. The owners also give them cash prizes if their buffaloes win any contests. Kambala is an annual race held in Karnataka where people sprint 142m through paddy fields with buffalo. During the race, the racers try to bring the buffaloes under control by holding their reins tight and whipping them, making it amply clear that the animal plays an equally important role in achieving the timing.
