Kambala 'Buffalo' racer compared with Usain Bolt grabs Rijiju's attention; will get trial

28-year-old Srinivasa Gowda, who has drawn comparisions with Usain Bolt after his swift sprint in a buffalo race, grabbed the eyeballs of the Sports Ministry as Union Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed on Saturday that the Kambala racer had been contacted and was invited to SAI for trails. Srinivasa Gowda, hailing from Moodabidri in Dakshina Kannada district covered 142.5 meters in just 13.62 seconds in the traditional buffalo race of Karnataka. Gowda's swift sprint makes him the fastest runner in the history of the traditional sport breaking a 30-year-old record. Srinivasa Gowda's feat was highlighted to Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju by many on social media following which the Karnataka lad was contacted. 

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Srinivasa Gowda to get trail: Kiren Rijiju

Taking to Twitter, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju revealed that Srinivasa Gowda had been contacted by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and had been booked a rail ticket and will reach on Monday. Kiren Rijiju assured Srinivasa Gowda of a fair trial supervised by top national coaches. Further, the Sports Minister said that there was a lack of awareness about the standards of athletics in the Olympics and vowed that he will ensure no talent in India is left untested. 

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Gowda sprints 100m in 9.55 seconds

Gowda's sprint has been compared with Usain Bolt's world record. Gowda ran 142.50 meters in 13.62 seconds, people simply calculated what his speed would have been for 100 metres which turns out to be just 9.55 seconds that is .03 seconds faster than Bolt’s world record. However, the records cannot be compared directly as Bolt ran on a flat track while Gowda sprinted in a slushy field, which can be a speed deterrent. Also, the 28-year-old ran alongside a pair of buffaloes and his speed was amplified by the speed generated by the animals.

Speaking to media after achieving the remarkable feat, Gowda said that he loves Kambala and attributed the credit of his success to his buffaloes. They ran very well while I chased or drove them, he added. Gowda's super sprint left netizens awestruck as some even suggested that he should train for Olympics. 

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Kambala Race

Kambala is an annual buffalo race held in Karnatak between November and March. It is a traditional and entertaining sport where buffaloes are driven by a whip-lashing farmer in a slushy paddy field. The annual event draws large crowds and even the participants train hard with some building exclusive pools for the buffaloes to train in. 

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