When the name Usain Bolt is heard, it’s recognized. 

He is the 6-foot-5-inch, eight-time Olympic gold medalist who also holds the world record in the 100-meter sprint (9.58 seconds) and 200-meter sprint (19.19 seconds). Let’s just say he has earned the title of “the greatest sprinter of all time.”

But what if someone had finally outsprinted the man whose last name has been etched into record books time and time again?

Crazy, right? No way! Impossible!

Well here’s how it happened according to a February 15 Youtube video by Indiatimes titled “Meet Srinivasa Gowda, Kambala Buffalo Jockey India’s Own Usain Bolt.”

A 28-year-old construction worker out of Moodabidri, India, named Srinivasa Gowda sprinted 142 meters in 13.68 seconds during a traditional Karnataka festival called Kambala. 

In an article published by Native Planet titled “10 Facts About Kambala Buffalo Race,” the festival is explained.

Kambala is a race in which two farmers, alongside their respective sets of water buffalo, sprint through long fields of slush. There can be anywhere between 20 to over 40 Kambala races between the months of November and March in various coastal regions of Karnataka, a state in south-west India. 

Kambala racing has received a large amount of scrutiny from animal activists in the past who claim that it is a form of animal cruelty and that water buffaloes’ bodies are not meant to be raced at such an aggressive level. In November of 2014, India’s Supreme Court decided to ban Kambala racing. However, it has recently returned to Karnataka with strict rules and regulations now put in place to ensure good care of the water buffaloes before and after racing. 

Kambala jockeys have assured onlookers and animal activists throughout the years, however, that the water buffaloes are well taken care of. They explained that they are beloved animals that are also extremely healthy because of the diet and exercise the Kambala racing provides them.

But back to Srinivasa Gowda. You know, the guy who just broke the world record.   

When mathematicians, who are far more skilled in the field of numbers than I, calculated his time at 100-meter mark of the 142-meter race, they found that it was 9.55 seconds. 

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

Claire Boughton

Hello! My name is Claire Boughton. I have worked with the Equinox for a little over two years and have held the position of the Senior Sports Reporter and now the Sports Editor. I am from West Simsbury, Connecticut, and live with my mom and dad. I have an older brother named Grant who is currently living in Albany, New York, but plans to move to New York City in a few months (because a global pandemic didn’t seem to scare him away from city-life). I have two cats named Stella and Luna, a dog named Sage and a fish named Shrimp. My cats are both 16 years old, making them both 108 human years old. That means that they would have survived through the Great Depression, both World Wars, the Cold War, women earning the right to vote and so much more. That’s a lot of wisdom. My dog is 12 years old, making her 74 human years old. We adopted her when she was four years old from Arkansas. I’m not sure how old Shrimp is but he is a baby betta I bought at PETCO about three weeks ago. I am an avid plant owner and love to help my friends and family keep their plants alive. I also wrote an article on kscequinox.com about what plants are good for what dorm rooms. I paint and draw in whatever free time I have and sometimes ride my bike that I got in middle school. My favorite part of the Sports Editor position is creating the weekly layout for the sports section. I have always loved design and making things nice to look at which I get to do every week with this job! If you are interested in writing for the sports section or have any questions you can contact me at cboughton@kscequinox.com.