2 Indian Buffalo Racers Reportedly Beat Usain Bolt’s 100 Meter Record

Srinivasa Gowda managed to cover 145 meters (476 feet) in 13.62 seconds during the annual buffalo race known as Kambala in the village of Aikala in Karnataka, India, according to Gulf News.

 

He reached the 100-meter (328-foot) mark in just 9.55 seconds, a few milliseconds faster than Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, who holds the record for the 100-meter race at 9.58 seconds at the Berlin 2009 World Championships.

 

Gowda’s jaw-dropping speed did not go unnoticed online. Word of his win even reached India’s Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday.

“I’ll call Karnataka’s Srinivasa Gowda for trials by top SAI Coaches,” Rijiju wrote in his tweet. “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.”

In a follow-up tweet, Rijiju said the officials have already reached out to Gowda and the athlete is set to start his trials by Monday.

“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 are team @narendramodi ji and will do everything to identity sporting talents!” he said.

People are now comparing Gowda’s achievement to Bolt’s, but Professor Gunapala Kadamba, president of the Kambala Academy, advised against comparing the two sportsmen.

“We would not like to indulge in any comparison with others. They [Olympic event monitors] have more scientific methods and better electronic equipment to measure speed,” he said, according to Metro UK.

The same sentiment was echoed by Gowda when he humbly rejected the comparison made by social media users.

“People are comparing me to Usain Bolt. He is a world champion, I am only running in a slushy paddy field,” Gowda told Asia News International.

In another twist to the incredible events, Gowda’s record was soon broken by Kambala racer Nishant Shetty from Bajagoli Jogibettu who ran 100 meters in 9.51 seconds, according to The Times of India.

While many have since compared Gowda’s impressive 100 meter time to Usian Bolt’s world record, Shetty acknowledged that the times may not be comparable to India Today. “Track was good, buffalos are the most important in this event. We can’t call is our achievement, I don’t think we can be compared to Usain Bolt,” Shetty said.

Kambala, which is traditionally sponsored by Tuluva landlords and households in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, is an annual race where people sprint 143 meters (469 feet) through paddy fields with buffalo.

Feature Image (left) via India Today, (right) via Pixabay