Srinivasa Gowda. If one has been following the news over the last couple of days, well this name needs no introduction. Who is he? Well, this man became an overnight sensation when Shashi Tharoor highlighted him in a tweet calling him faster than Usain Bolt.
Faster Than Usain Bolt? Karnataka Man Running With Buffaloes Covers 100 Metres in Just 9.55 Seconds. I urge the Athletics Association of India to take this man under their wing & make an Olympic champion of him. Wonder how many hidden talents we have," he had tweeted.
The 28-year-old 'Kambala jockey' had run 142.5m in 13.62 seconds which is equivalent to 100m in 9.55 seconds. Bolt's record is 9.55 seconds to run the same distance, which is a world record at the moment.
Kambala is a buffalo race where a man has to run with the buffalo. He achieved this feat on February 1 and has been doing this for 7 years.
But before we all elevate Gowda to the level of Bolt, let's remember a few things. Can one equate a race with buffaloes to that of one involving humans. Not to mention the different conditions, the training that Bolt had to give him an edge. Taking in all these factors, can one actually say Gowda is of the same level.
The man himself was humble enough to admit that Bolt is a world class athlete and he was nowhere in comparison. And let's be brutally honest. It is true.
Also one other important factor is how the speed was developed. Kambala follows a hand timing system unlike Bolt's track meets where it is electronic timings. These timings do vary. Another fact of the matter is that Gowda's speed is also generated with the help of the speed of the buffaloes. Whereas Bolt's speed is naturally generated. Another place where Bolt trumps Gowda.
Bolt's speed is 27.8 mph. While buffaloes have been known to run at 35 mph, the fact that time was not recorded electronically suggests that there is no specified correctness of it. There is more hype than truth in the statistic.
He's not alone in this regard and this idea of fans going overboard is not an isolated incident. In 2019, Rameshwar Gurjar was reputed to run 100m in 11 seconds. But after SAI arranged a trial run, he finished last and has not been heard of again.
Hima Das was hailed for winning 5 gold medals in a month in Europe. But the truth was that her timings were nowhere near being those of international standards and her opponents were hardly at top level.
So Indian athletics needs a reality check. This case of Gowda is the best example to show that we let our emotions get the better of us instead looking at the facts. So for the record, in all that is fair, Gowda is nowhere close to Bolt in speed. Comparing apples with oranges is not a fair estimate. Comparisons should be made among equals.