Yesterday, I wrote an article about how Karnatakaâs Kambala star, Srinivasa Gowda made the most sensible decision to respectfully say ânoâ to Kiren Rijiju and our Sports Ministry, that had announced his participation in the trial for the 100m sprinting event.

He is Srinivasa Gowda (28) from Moodabidri in Dakshina Kannada district. Ran 142.5 meters in just 13.62 seconds at a "Kambala" or Buffalo race in a slushy paddy field. 100 meters in JUST 9.55 seconds! @usainbolt took 9.58 seconds to cover 100 meters. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/DQqzDsnwIP

But clearly a lot of our readers did not agree with my views and called me out on social media and I completely understand where they were coming from.

"How can somebody like Gowda say no to such an opportunity? He made the biggest mistake of his life declining this offer. He will regret this later," those were the most common comments amidst the mundane name-calling and abusing in the articleâs comments section.

Our sports ministry is willing to give the opportunity to those who deserve it the most even on the basis of videos that go viral on social media; however, do the participants actually get a fair chance?

The Kambala jockey was the latest example of this âactivityâ and people are going crazy over him, and are comparing him to the Jamaican Olympian and all-time great Usain Bolt.

They have completely forgotten about those who have lived through the same week of stardom, only to be unremembered by everyone, including the ministry that promised them a bright future and the hopes of helping them participating in the Olympics one day.

Donât believe me? Then hear it from the horseâs mouth himself.

Seven months ago, a video of Rameshwar âBarefoot Runnerâ Gurjar, âwho covered 100m in 11 secondsâ, surfaced online and everyone wanted him to be Indiaâs Bolt back then. Unlike Gowda, Gurjar surrendered to all the public attention he was getting suddenly and even vowed to beat Boltâs record.

India is blessed with talented individuals. Provided with right opportunity & right platform, they'll come out with flying colours to create history!

Urge @IndiaSports Min. @KirenRijiju ji to extend support to this aspiring athlete to advance his skills!

Thanks to @govindtimes. pic.twitter.com/ZlTAnSf6WO

The ministry offered him the same deal they offered Gowda but our âbarefoot runnerâ said âyesâ back then.

âMy trial was organised in a hurry and I was made to run on the tracks with shoes even though I had an injured leg,â Rameshwar told MensXP. âI even told them that my leg was not healed properly but even then they made me participate in the race," he said.

âYes, I was invited to the sports academy in Bhopal but there was no trainer assigned to me. I was left all alone and had to keep practising on my own,â he added.

When the trial finally happened, Gurjar crashed and burned. He crossed the finish line last amongst the seven participants. What was the world expecting out of him? This was completely new and everything about this race was unfamiliar to him. The shoes versus his feet, the soft track instead of the hard and piercing asphalt roads, the stadium versus the village environment, everything was different.

Kiren Rijiju posted the video of Gurjarâs trial and promised him that he will be given âproper time and trainingâ regardless of the disappointing race. But did he get all those things?

Rameshwar Gurjar's trial run was conducted at T T Nagar Stadium by senior coaches of SAI and State Govt. Here, Rameshwar is seen running at extreme left. He is exhausted due to the glare of publicity so couldn't perform well. Will give proper time and training to him. pic.twitter.com/RQtkxWFDFR

âI got nothing. I had to come back home. Nobody was willing to take care of my expenses so I had to return,â said a disheartened Gurjar. âI try to get my training here only. I go to my ground and practice here and there," he said.

When asked about what he felt about the Kambala jockey, Srinivasa Gowda said, âI saw his video and I was very impressed with him. He ran on mud with no shoes on so I could relate with him.â

âI would request him to take his time before saying âyesâ to the trial. He should practice running while wearing shoes and on the race tracks for at least five to six months before thinking about whether he wants to continue,â he said. âI donât want him to go through what I did.â

But he still has the same dreams of one day wearing the India logo on his chest and running for his country. 

âI want to go on with my practice, if not the 100m category then I can even move towards longer races as well,â he appealed.

âI request the sports ministry to help me. Here at home, I have no facilities that will help me in my training," he added. 

View the full article