Claims and counterclaims on the fastest kambala jockey have been surfacing ever since Srinivas Gowda of Moodbidri hit the headlines for covering 142.5 metres in 13.62 seconds at a kambala event on February 1 and 2.
On Tuesday, reports surfaced that in another kambala race held at Venur in Dakshina Kannada district on February 15 and 16, Nishanth Shetty of Bajagoli in Udupi district covered 143 m in 13.61 seconds. This, reports claimed, had resulted in breaking Mr. Gowda’s record.
A senior kambala organiser, who did not wish to be named, said the 13.62-seconds record of Mr. Gowda was in the ‘Negilu Kiriya’ category. However, he had completed the same distance in ‘Negilu Hiriya’ category in 13.46 seconds at the same event, which unfortunately was not noticed. Only the 13.62 seconds was portrayed as a record, he said.
Kambala Academy founder and convener Gunapala Kadamba had told The Hindu on Monday that with Mr. Gowda’s feat, the issue of two jockeys covering 146 m in 13.6 seconds in 2013 had come under discussion. The kambala was held at Miyar in Karkala taluk where jockeys Suresh Shetty of Varkadigoli and Kolke Irvathur Ananda had completed the run simultaneously.
Stating that kambala races cannot be compared to Olympics sprints that are judged in minute seconds, Mr. Kadamba had said kambala was yet to evolve sophisticated technology to determine timing.
While the Kambala Samiti has adopted laser-beam technology at the finish point to exactly decide the finishing time, the same is yet to be adopted at the start point, he said. The academy and samiti are likely to test this technology at the February 22, 23 kambala being held at Paivalike in the neighbouring Kasargod district, Mr. Kadamba said.
