Trials to be held for ‘Bolt-like’ bull runner from Karnataka
NEWDELHI:A Karnataka man running with buffaloes in a traditional race called Kambala and reportedly covering 100m in 9.55 seconds—faster than Usain Bolt, that is—is just the kind of stuff that leads to social media frenzy. And it has. On Twitter, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju declared that the man, 28-year-old Srinivasa Gowda, will be called for trials to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru.
“I’ll call Karnataka’s Srinivasa Gowda for trials by top SAI coaches. There’s lack of knowledge in masses about the standards of Olympics especially in athletics where ultimate human strength & endurance are surpassed. I’ll ensure that no talents in India are left out untested,” Rijiju wrote on his Twitter handle on Saturday.
Sports Authority of India (SAI) later said on Twitter that Gowda’s train tickets have been booked and he will be assessed in Bengaluru on Monday.
Gowda, a construction worker from Moodabidri, supposedly covered the 142m distance of the paddy field race in 13.62 seconds, holding on tight to the reins of two buffaloes going full tilt. The race was held at Aikala village near Mangaluru. Several questions come to mind. How accurately was the race timed? How was the 100m mark decided? And, most importantly, what role do the two speeding buffaloes play in the reported speed of the man? Gowda’s run reminds of a grainy video that made the rounds of social media where a gaunt, mustachioed man, is seen running barefoot and pell-mell down a rural road.