Bengaluru, A second Kambala racer has emerged faster than Srinivas Gowda, the jockey hogging limelight across the country for ‘eclipsing’ Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt’s 100m record.
“Nishant Shetty hailing from Bajagoli Jogibettu village broke Gowda’s record at Venoor Kambala (buffalo race). He covered 100m in just 9.51 seconds,” said a Kambala organiser.
Bolt currently holds the 100m world record at 9.58 seconds set in 2009.
Shetty achieved the feat on Sunday and joined three more Kambala racers who have sprinted 100m within 10 seconds.
Shetty ran 143m in just 13.61 seconds, starting to be dubbed as Kambala’s second ‘Bolt’.
The other sub-10 seconds Kambala sprinters are Iruvathur Anand (9.57 seconds), Gowda (9.55) and Akkeri Suresh Shetty (9.57).
Gowda, 28, a construction worker, took just 13.62 seconds to cover a distance of 145m in the Kambala event in Aikala village near Mangaluru in which jockeys have to sprint barefoot through paddy fields with buffaloes.
He took just 9.55 seconds to run a distance of 100m and netizens were quick to point out that he was faster than eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt.
Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa honoured on Monday Gowda with a reward of Rs 3 lakh.
