Karnataka: Kambala star agrees to train for sprint trials after SAI team visit

MANGALURU: Star jockey Shrinivas Gowda, who said his heart was set on Kambala, will give running shoes a try, after all. A team of Sports Authority of India from Bengaluru visited Gowda in Kasaragod after which it was decided the 28-year-old would train with national coaches and appear for athletics trials.
The three-member SAI team watched the buffalo races in Paivalike on Saturday and studied the timing of the events. Gowda won four medals at the Kasargod Kambala that ended on Sunday; his medal tally this year is 39 from 13 Kambala events.
“Gowda has never worn shoes while running, nor has he run on a synthetic track. He will be trained by coaches of national repute at Moodabidri (Dakshina Kannada) and appear for trials before SAI,” said K Gunapala Kadamba, founder-secretary of Dakshina Kannada Kambala Committee. “He will be busy with the races till the first week of March. After that, he will take some time off to rest and then begin training.”
Gowda, a labourer from Mijar Ashwathpur near Moodabidri, became a sensation after a video clip of his record 100m in 9.55 seconds in a Kambala race went viral. Twitterati drew comparisons with Usain Bolt.