MANGALURU: A day after Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju invited Kambala jockey Srinivasa Gowda to take part in trials for a track event at Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Bengaluru, he told TNIE on Sunday that he is not interested in it and will focus on Kambala.
Speaking to TNIE at Venuru-Permude where he was taking part in Surya Chandra Kambala, Gowda said he was truly excited by the attention he was gaining for his Kambala feat and he was thankful to people for it.
However, he categorically said that he will not take part in SAI trials to be held on Monday. On an invitation from CM BSY, he will meet him in Bengaluru on Monday. Gowda who is being dubbed as India's Usain Bolt said track event is a different ball game and was not sure whether he can make it big there.
"In Kambala race, heels play an important role whereas it is toes in a track race. Not just jockeys, but even Buffaloes have a role to play in Kambala. In track race, this is not the case" said Gowda.
Gowda, who hit slush paddy fields at the age of 15, has taken part in hundreds of Kambala events in his career as a jockey, spanning more than a decade and has won tens of prizes. He was unwilling to reveal how much he will earn from Kambala but said whatever he earns is enough for him and he is happy with it.
He says many successful sprinters had tried their luck in Kambala but they didn't succeed and tripped at the beginning of the race.