New Delhi: Srinivasa Gowda, a Kambala jockey, is undergoing trials for professional sporting competitions under the top coaches of Sports Authority of India (SAI).
“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 is left out untested,” Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju wrote on Twitter.
Gowda set the new record as the fastest runner in the history of the traditional sport as he covered 145 metres in 13.62 seconds at the Kambala competition.
He became overnight sensation and netizens compared him to the fastest sprinter in the world — Usain Bolt and urged sporting bodies to take note of the jockey.
Bolt holds the world 100m record of 9.58 seconds while Gowda covered the same distance in just 9.55 seconds during a Kambala competition.
Kambala is an ancient, traditional buffalo race in muddy or slushy paddy fields of coastal regions of Karnataka.