Village Man, 28, Becomes Overnight Sprint Sensation
A28-year-old construction worker has become an overnight sensation in India after he completed a 142-metre race in just 13.42 seconds, and has been called by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for assessment on Monday.
Srinivasa Gowda, a native of India’s southern state of Karnataka, had emerged as the fastest Kambala (a traditional sport) racer earlier this month.
Kambala race is a traditional sport in Karnataka where a runner sprints with a pair of buffaloes on slush tracks.
Recently, Mr Gowda is said to have completed one such 142-metre long race in just 13.42 seconds, thereby prompting his comparison with
Usain Bolt who holds the Olympics record of finishing a 100-metre race in 9.58 seconds.
The country’s Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju was fast enough to pick the latent talent in Mr Gowda. Immediately after Mr Gowda’s rare feat was brought to his knowledge, the minister tweeted: “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 will do everything to identify sporting talents.” Noted industrialist Anand Mahindra, who owns the leading Mahindra and Mahindra automobile company, said the country expected a gold medal from Mr Gowda in the forthcoming Olympics.
“Just one look at his physique and you know this man is capable of extraordinary athletic feats. Now either Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju provides him training as a 100-metre sprinter or we get Kambala to become an Olympic event. Either way, we want a gold medal for Srinivasa,” he said in a tweet.
Director general of SAI Sandeep Pradhan said that the Sports Authority had reached out to Mr Gowda and booked his train ticket. He will be in SAI’s Bangalore centre on Monday where our coaches will assess him, Pradhan said, adding that “We hope to identify and nurture more talents with inputs from all sports enthusiasts.”