Srinivasa Gowda, 'India's Usain Bolt', Creates New Record With 42 Medals In Kambala Tournament

Srinivasa Gowda had set India buzzing when he apparently 'broke' Usain Bolt's 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds. During one video, he appeared to clock 9.55 seconds in a 100-meter race during a Kambala tournament which involved buffalo racing. The current season has been one of dominance for Srinivasa Gowda, who has now won 42 medals, breaking the previous record of 32 medals in a season set by one Hukkeri Shetty. The frightening part is, there is one more event to go before he takes a break. In a report on The News Minute website, Srinivasa Gowda won four medals in the Kambala held at Venoor to take his medal tally to 35. Later, at the Paivalike Kambala in Kerala's Kasaragod district, he bagged four medals.

On Sunday, Gowda won three more medals at the Vijaya-Vikrama Kambala held at Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada district. The final Kambala of the season is slated to be held at Belthangady on March 7. 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 during a race on February 14.

The report said Gowda was 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.

Rejecting Kiren Rijiju's Offer

Srinivasa Gowda's feat 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.

Srinivasa Gowda has caused a sensation in India due to the Kambala buffalo-racing tournament. (Image credit: Twitter)

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

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!"

Also Read | Srinivasa Gowda, Who Broke Usain Bolt's Record, To Not Go To SAI For Trials

Following his feat in the Kambala Buffalo race, Srinivasa Gowda had spoken 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.

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