MANGALURU: The slushy arena of
Kambala
in coastal Karnataka is turning into a hunting ground for 100m champs. Two weeks after
Shrinivas Gowda
did 100m in 9.55 seconds, drawing comparisons to sprinting legend
Usain Bolt, 28-year-old
Nishanth Shetty
logged 9.52 seconds, creating a new Kambala record by 0.03 seconds.
The Udupi farmer raced a pair of buffaloes across a 143-metre track in 13.61 seconds in a semifinal round of the Surya-Chandra Jodukare Kambala at Venur in Belthangady taluk on Sunday. Gowda, who had broken a 30-year-old record with his performance at Aikala village on February 1, covered the 145m track in 13.62 seconds.
Nishanth learned the basics from his father, who rears buffaloes for Kambala in their home in Bajagoli in Karkala. He quit studies after Class 12 and has been a jockey for over six years now. As news of his feat emerged on Tuesday, Nishanth was quick to pre-empt any comparison with Bolt or talk of Olympic-level training for athletics.
Can’t compare Kambala and sprinting: NishanthI have finished 100 metres in 9.52 seconds as a jockey in the semifinal of ‘Hagga Hiriya’ category. This is my best timing and I am happy. But it is not right to compare my performance in Kambala with Usain Bolt’s. We cannot compare sprinting and Kambala, there is a lot of difference between the two,” he said.
The Hagga Hiriya category involves roping a pair of buffaloes and racing alongside on a slushy field that serves as the track; others involve the runner standing on a wooden plank dragged by the buffaloes. Shetty is the jockey for Hosabettu Gopalakrishna Bhat, who owns the buffaloes.
Both Nishanth and Gowda are alumni of the Kambala Academy in Karkala, founded by K Gunapala Kadamba, founder secretary of Dakshina Kannada Kambala Samiti. “It is a proud moment for me that two of our students have brought fame to the sport and our academy,” said Kadamba.
Nishanth has been racing in Kambala events for six years and has won 40 medals, including one gold and three silver. Gowda is on a winning spree this season, having notched up 32 medals so far. Kambala races will be held up to the first week of March.
While Kambala jockeys have logged similar records in the past, the flurry of attention is forcing organisers to rethink the potential reach and appeal of the sport, long seen as rural, having little to do with the mainstream.
“With Shrinivas Gowda’s performance at Aikala, we decided to create a website where runners’ performances will be updated on a real-time basis,” said Dakshina Kannada Kambala Samiti president PR Shetty. “We will also put up details of Kambala events, profiles of participating jockeys and feature the buffaloes that run the races.”
Kambala has been turning out many star runners over the years. Jockey Akkeri Suresh Shetty finished 100m in 9.57 seconds at a
Kambala event
in Puttur in 2019. Irvathur Anand logged the same timing in 2015.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.He is an Assistant Editor with The Times of India, Mangaluru.