Everyone is well aware of the fact that the World’s Fastest Man is Usain Bolt. He shot to prominence when he set the current world record in 2009 by running a 100-meter race in just 9.58 seconds at a blistering pace.
The Jamaican sprinter set the world record for the 200-meter dash, clocking in at 19.19 seconds. Since then, no one (not even Bolt himself) has been able to break the record. Now, it seems that Bolt may have some tough competition in the form of a Karnataka villager from India.
The 28-year-old man was identified as Srinivas Gowda, also known as an Indian buffalo racer. He took the entire world by storm by making a world record of 9.55 seconds for the 100m race in the traditional buffalo racing sport that was held in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka.
Bolt holds both the world records in races for 100 meters, at 9.58 seconds, and 200-meters, at 19.19 seconds. Karnataka Man Srinivas has now broken the world record for the 100-meter race after covering 100-meter race in just 9.55 seconds. Gowda, who participated in the Kambala race, an annual bull-racing event held in Mangalore, ran the distance in just 9.55 seconds, which is 0.03 seconds faster than Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds.
While speaking to the media, Gowda said that there is no comparison. “People are comparing me to Usain Bolt. He is a world champion, I am only running in a slushy paddy field,” Gowda said.
Gowda trained himself for the race for more than a month at Kambala Academy. “I mainly exercise and swim every day. Once a week, I practice running on the slushy track,” says Srinivas.
Coming from Mudbidri, Mangaluru, Gowda ran 142.5 meters in 13.62 seconds at a buffalo race (Kambala) in a paddy field, stunning the world by his race.
Gowda is said to have been a Kambala jockey for a long time, took just 13.62 seconds to cover the distance. Twitter was flooded with praise for Srinivas Gowda who made the nation proud by breaking Usain Bolt’s 100-meter world record.
Meanwhile, another Kambala runner Nishant Shetty broke the previous record set by Srinivas Gowda as he successfully completed the same race in a quick time.
Shetty came up with better timing in the traditional bull race. He hails from Bajagoli Jogibettu and the new jockey eclipsed Gowda’s record by covering the distance in 9.51 seconds at the Venoor Kambala.