Australian Olympic hero Cameron McEvoy hit out at the Enhanced Games after his world record was beaten by Kristian Gkolomeev.
McEvoy, who won gold in the 50m freestyle in Paris in 2024, only set the world record in the event in March, recording a time of 20.88.
That was beaten by Gkolomeev in Las Vegas on Monday [AEDT], who came in at 20.81.
However the Greek athlete was not competing cleanly according to WADA guidelines, and therefore the world record will not be officially recognised.
McEvoy could not resist a little dig at the event, and responded by sharing a meme on social media.
He posted a photo of an angry Gordon Ramsey which boasted the caption: “Seriously?! That’s all you got!”
Elsehwere, James Magnussen, finished fourth in the 100m freestyle.
The Australian was more than two seconds outside his personal best on a day where only one world record was ‘broken’.
The Games, dubbed the “Steroid Olympics”, allows elite athletes to compete under medically supervised performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) without anti-doping restrictions.
It has cost organisers upwards of $50 million.
The Enhanced ownership conglomerate was recently valued at $1.2 billion and are rolling the dice on turning the event into a performance enhancing advertising goliath.
Absurd prize money is up for grabs with athletes competing for the chance to become instant millionaires.
2.30pm – Kristian Gkolomeev breaks 50m freestyle record
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev achieves the first world record of the Enhanced Games with a time of 20.81 in the 50m freestyle.
He will collect a staggering $1 million bonus for breaking a world record, on top of his $250,000 prize for winning the race.
The 50m free world record was previously held by McEvoy at 20.88 seconds.
A delighted Gkolomeev said: “It was a great race. I had a lot of fun. This is amazing this venue. Thank you everything Enhanced that you’ve done for us. It’s been a blessing.
“I had a good race. I had a mistake on the breakout and I got a little bit nervous but then the rest of the swimming was good so I got it.
“It’s not bad at all [the prize pot]. It’s going to change my life for the good for sure. It will help me and my family.”
2.20pm – Fred Kerley short of world record
US sprinter Fred Kerley wins the men’s 100m and he banks $250,000 for his efforts.
But he is almost desolate after failing to break the world record once again.
He did not even come close to Usain Bolt’s spectacular time of 9.58, with Kerly recording 9.97.
Reflecting on the race, he said: “Man, they gotta do better than that.
“They’ve got to train harder, get their s*** a little bit more, and go a littler harder some more.
“You saw that, a lot of false starts, a lot of jumping, they’ve gotta do better than that.
“I’m ready to run fast.”
Once again he was the only man to break 10 seconds with Liberia’s Emanuel Matadi finishing second in 10.05 seconds.
1pm – Ben Proud goes agonisingly close to record
British swimming champ Ben Proud has gone agonisingly close to delivering the Enhanced Games the world record event organisers are desperately seeking.
Proud, arguably the biggest name to sign with the rogue operation, set a personal best in the men’s 50m butterfly and was just 0.05 seconds short.
His time of 22.32 was a fingernail away from the world record of 22.27 set by Andriy Govorov in 2018.
According to swimming records, Proud’s swim is the second fastest 50m butterfly ever.
As an enhanced athlete, his time will not go down in the record books.
Govorov was the only swimmer to miss out on a personal best in the race, finishing second in 22.66.
Proud is one of swimming’s most decorated 50m sprint specialists. He is a five-time Commonwealth Games champion, a European champion and a three-time world champion.
He claimed silver behind Australia’s Cameron McEvoy at last year’s Paris Olympics and at this year’s world championships in Singapore.
12.15 – Fred Kerley misses mark in heats
American track star Fred Kerley, a non-enhanced athlete, qualified fastest for the 100m final to be run on Monday afternoon.
Kerley, who still intends to compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, was the only runner to go under ten seconds. All the “enhanced” athletes using performance enhancing substances failed to break the ten-second mark.
Kerley was well short of Usain Bolt’s iconic 100m world record in the heats of the 100m.
Kerley has talked a big game about what he will produce in Las Vegas, but he wasn’t in the frame compared to Bolt’s freakish time of 9.58 set in 2008.
Kerley hit the line in a time of 9.93 seconds.
He was unable to match his personal best time of 9.76 seconds set in 2022.
11.50am – Magnussen at centre of Enhanced Games’ ‘huge flop’
James Magnussen on Monday “guaranteed” there would be a record in the pool at the Enhanced Games, but his promise has not delivered yet.
Magnussen could only finish fourth in the 100m freestyle as his hopes of a world record went up in flames.
The “Missile” was in line to win $1.4 million if he had been able to break the record.
His time of 49.44 was nowhere near his personal best of 47.10 set in 2012.
ABC sport commentator Erin Marsicovetere wrote on X: “James Magnussen swimming slower at the Enhanced Games than he was in his prime.
“No one in the stands. Low-budget set up in a carpark. Huge flop.”
Australian sport journalist Mark Gotlieb posted on X: “James Magnussen dropped 10+ kg from last year’s Enhanced Games test event because he was so slow.
“He then went even slower. I guess that proves not even performance enhancing drugs can beat Father Time.
“All that bluster was just hot air. What a joke. The event is a farce.”
Race winner Kristian Gkolomeev went close to the record mark with a time of 46.60.
Despite Gkolomeev’s chemical advances, Pan Zhanle’s official world record of 46.40 seconds, set at the Paris Olympics, still stands.
Emily Barclay won the women’s 50m freestyle with a time of 24.09, earning $250,000.
She was 0.49 of the world record.
11am – Steroid Olympics left a laughing stock
It didn’t start well for the financial backers of the event when non-enhanced athlete Olympian Hunter Armstrong won the men’s 50m backstroke event.
Armstrong, a former world record holder in the event, recorded a time of 24.21.
That time was well off of the world record of 23.55. However, his performance means he will be leaving the event $250,000 richer.
The sight of another non-enhanced athlete winning had many viewers laughing.
One viewer of the official live stream commented: “This whole show has s*** the bed”.
Another wrote with laughing emojis: “They not coming close to any world record”.
After viewing Armstrong’s win, one person posted on X: “Super suited, roided up, still can’t beat the record. Absolutely washed. Good for him getting that bag though”.
12pm – Clean athlete claims 100m heat win
There was more victory for the clean athletes in the women’s 100 metre heats on Monday morning (AEST) as Barbadian sprinter Tristan Evelyn stormed home to take victory.
The 28-year-old boasts her country’s national record of 11.14 seconds, and ran just four hundredths shy of that mark to claim a comfortable win and book her place in the next round.
Safe to say she made some of her rivals, who were on performance enhancing drugs, look distinctly inferior.
The commentators are referring to clean participants as “non-enhanced athletes”.
What are the Enhanced Games?
The Enhanced Games states that its purpose is to push the boundaries of human performance.
The Games website states that they are challenging traditional models of sport by embracing science, innovation, and measurable performance enhancement under regulated conditions.
But it also wants to help sell a range of performance-enhancing drugs and supplements.
It hopes that the exposure from the Games could see people rushing to purchase its supplements, testosterone and peptides – many of which aren’t yet approved by the FDA.
How much money is on offer?
For all events at the Enhanced Games, there is a $700,000 prize pool, with the winner receiving $350,000 of that.
For example, in each pool event, there are four swimmers, with first getting approximately $350,000, then $175,000 for second, $105,000 and $70,000 for third and fourth.
If an athlete breaks a world record, there is an additional bonus ranging from $1.4m ($1m USD) to $350,000 ($250k USD).
