India's Boltesque buffalo jockey Srinivas Gowda declines sprint trial
A buffalo jockey in India has turned down an invitation to take part in a track and field trial. The invitation came after his awe-inspiring performance in a traditional footrace that drew comparisons with Olympic sprint legend Usain Bolt. Srinivas Gowda ran 142.5 metres in 13.62 seconds in the annual race known as Kambala, held in Karnataka. Here is why he declined the invite.
Gowda, a 28-year-old construction worker completed the 100m-run in 9.55 seconds as compared to Bolt's world record of 9.58 seconds. However, he politely refused to take part in the trials at the Sports Authority of India in Bangalore. "I will not be attending trials at Sports Authority of India. I want to achieve more in Kambala," Gowda told the reporters.
Kambala is an annual buffalo race, a tradition in the farming community of Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. This area is called Tulunadu. A pair of buffaloes are tied to the plough and a person anchors them. They run on two parallel muddy tracks to emerge as fastest. The tracks are normally 120-160 metres in length and 8-12 metres in width.
Gowda's achievement was remarkable as he won this race in just 13.62 seconds. He covered a distance of 100 metres in 9.55 seconds, 0.03 seconds faster than Bolt. However, Gowda believes it is unfair to compare him with Bolt. "People are comparing me to Usain Bolt. He is a world champion, I am only running in a slushy paddy field," he said.
"The two events are different. Those who have done well in one can't replicate in the other. Many who achieved in track events have tried Kambala and haven't been successful. In Kambala we run on heels whereas in track it is on toes," Gowda stated.
