He needs to come to us: SAI director after Kambala racer Srinivas Godwa refuses to undergo trials – India Today

Kambala jockey Srinivas Gowda has declined Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju’s offer to come to Bengaluru to undergo trials at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Center despite his exploits in the buffalo racing competition in Karnataka.

Gowda took the sporting fraternity in India by storm after clips of him running with buffaloes went viral on social media last week. Gowda ran a distance of 100 meters in just 9.55 seconds which prompted Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju to ask SAI top coaches to conduct trials for him in Bengaluru.

But Gowda has refused to take part in the trials citing his lack of experience of racing on a track as opposed to the Kambala event, in which jockeys have to sprint 142m through paddy fields with buffaloes barefoot.

“I never thought will run this fast. The main role was played by the buffaloes and the owner. He looked after them well. The buffaloes can run even faster,” Gowda said after meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.

All arrangements for Gowda’s travel to Bengaluru were made by the Sports Minister and he was supposed to give his trials after getting two days to acclimatize. But Gowda, after meeting with Karnataka CM, decided to skip the trials instead.

“First he needs to come to us because as of now he is in a rural kind of focussed sport of a particular area. This is if we want to take him into national or international platform, there are lots of ethics and basics to think of such as track running and more.

“We plan to get him to us. First he needs to be conditioned from a rural kind of running to a more formalised kind of running. He still has not worn shoes, he is still far from any kind of spikes. Track running is different, field running is different. Nevertheless, he has shown that he is talented.

“Thereupon we may have to work on his nutrition, supplements, his diets, biomechanics, physiology, sports science department will work with him and then we will come to know if at all where all he is lagging. And if he can break records, who else will be happy than us. We were ready for today but he still has few more races so whenever he comes, we are ready,” Captain Ajay Kumar Bhal, SAI Senior Director, said.

Kambala academy president K Gunapala Kadamba meanwhile, stated that Gowda is busy till March 10 but will give the trials at SAI after that.

“We provide all sorts of professional training to the runners. Here we can’t compare Usain Bolt to Srinivasa Gowda. Even tomorrow if Bolt participates in Kambala, he cannot be like Srinivasa Gowda. 142 metres track and 13.62 seconds he managed to cover the distance.

“At the finishing point, we have the laser beam network system with electronic timings. Here we have a button system for the start but in the next Kambala we will introduce the automatic starting lazer system. To be accurate and transparent, near to the truth and it must always the truth

“Today we will meet SAI authorities and only after March 10, maybe he will be able to take part in the trials,” Professor K Gunapala Kadamba said.