Srinivas Gowda, a Kambala jockey from Karnataka became an overnight sensation on social media after his stunning performance in the traditional buffalo race. Gowda covered 145 meters in just 13.62 seconds and in the process completed the first 100m in just 9.55 seconds to raise eyebrows. Social media was left in awe of his pace as people started comparing the Kambala jockey with Olympic legend Usain Bolt, who holds the 100m world record having covered the distance in 9.58 seconds.

The likes of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and business tycoon Anand Mahindra tweeted about Gowda asking the government to nurture his talent and get him ready for bigger stages.

Following the social media frenzy, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju took notice of Gowda’s talent and arranged a trial for him at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru.

However, Gowda, who was being labelled India’s very own Usain Bolt by many on social media, has refused to undergo trials. Sources at SAI said Gowda is not interested in the trials and is also suffering from an injury. “He (Gowda) has reached Bengaluru today to meet the Chief Minister. A team from SAI, Bengaluru is in CM’s office to talk to him and take him to the SAI centre,” a source was quoted as saying by PTI.

“But apparently, he is not interested. We have also learnt that he is suffering from an injury,” the source added.

Traditional sports can’t be compared with Olympics: Kiren Rijiju

Gowda took the social media by a storm after he ran 145 meters in just 13.62 seconds in a Kambala race at the Aikala village near Mangaluru. While his pace and his impressive performance is a testament to his skills and talent, comparing him to legendary Bolt will be taking things a bit too far. Kambala is a traditional sport where people sprint 142m through paddy fields with a buffalo, the timing is derived by how fast the buffalo is.

When asked about being compared with Bolt, Gowda himself stated that he is not quite on the level of the world-record holder and it will be unfair to draw comparisons. Sports Minister Rijiju on Monday stated that amateur videos like that of Gowda’s Kambala race cannot be considered as there is a huge difference between the standards of traditional sports and the Olympics or World Championships.

“Media can’t control things with people writing anything in social media these days. If any talent comes to our notice we will give him a platform, an opportunity. The standard of Olympics and world championships is very high. People who play traditional sports, you can’t suddenly compare them with international champions unless we don’t assess them officially, check their records.” Rijiju was quoted as saying by PTI.

“If any one can send an amateur video, we can’t accept it. We want to give it an official trial. We will take a proper trial under top coaches and if there is talent, if there is potential to go the distance, then we will bring them in national camp,” he added.

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