After Srinivas Gowda’s sensational run in a Kambala race,netizens quickly drew to the conclusion that he is India’s Usain Bolt. Two days later another Kambala runner Nishant Shetty recorded 143 metre in just 13.68 seconds. But this time social media showed maturity by not going crazy about the achievement.   

SRINIVAS GOWDA

Srinivas Gowda, a construction worker from Karnataka’s Moodabidri, took just 13.62 seconds to run 142 metres in a Kambala race. Indian sports fans were quick to backcalculate that Gowda completed 100 metres in 9.55 seconds- faster than the 100m world record held by Usain Bolt who has a record of running 100 metres in 9.58 seconds.

Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju was quick to respond to the event and arranged for his trial at SAI centre in Bengaluru. But Gowda politely declined the offer. He admitted, “I will not be attending the sports trials. I want to achieve further in Kambala. People are comparing me to Usain Bolt. He is a world champion, I am only running in a slushy paddy field.”

RAMESHWAR GUJJAR

Gowda was quick to understand the fact and therefore did not go the way Rameshwar Gurjar went in August 2019. 24-year-old from Rameshwar Gurjar, was also christened as the next Usain Bolt by the media, was believed to have completed 100m in 11 seconds on the dusty tracks of his home town in Madhya Pradesh. He was called for trials at TT Stadium in Bhopal but finished last in 100m clocking 12.9 seconds.

Srinivas Gowda understood the fact that Kambala racing is done more on heels but track racing happens on toes. As he is a Kambala racer since the age of 15, he knows that the speed of the racer is doubled up by the speed of the buffalo in Kambala. It was a reality check for the netizens who were disappointed by Gowda’s decision but at least showed maturity by not going crazy when Nishant Shetty, another Kambala racer, ran sensationally just two days after.

NISHANT SHETTY

Shetty recorded 143 metre in 13.68 seconds that comes to 9.51 seconds in 100 metre if equated. Hailing from Bajagoli Jogibettu, he achieved the feat at Soorya-Chandra Jodukare Kambala at Venoor. Two other racers, Akkeri Suresh Shetty and Irvathuru Anand in the same race came very close to Gowda’s record by covering the distance in 9.57 seconds.