A 'clean' swimmer took home gold at the Enhanced Games, beating out his 'enhanced' competitors. The games, which took place on May 24-25 in Las Vegas, saw athletes openly use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) under supervision. But American swimmer Hunter Armstrong won gold – and the accompanying $250,000 cash – on ability alone, clocking 24.21 seconds in the men's 50m backstroke and coming in ahead of competitors – such as Sohib Khaled and Shane Ryan – who had taken legal substances.
Armstrong went on to take silver in the 100m freestyle, again without taking any PEDs. Greece's Kristian Gkolomeev also became the only athlete to beat a world record at the controversial games, though his time will not be recognised by any official sporting bodies. The 32-year-old's 20.81 seconds in the men's 50m freestyle beat the previous record of 20.88, set by Australian Cameron McEvoy in March. Although his time won't be formally recognised, Gkolomeev was rewarded $250,000 (£185,000) for winning, plus a $1million (£741,000) bonus for the unofficial record.
'I'm going to say it's not bad at all. This is going to change my life for the good, for sure,' said Gkolomeev. 'It's a big help for me and my family. And yeah, I'm going to continue next year. Maybe I'll break it [the record] again.' Meanwhile British swimmer Ben Proud, who won silver in the men's 50m freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics, came first in the 50m butterfly at 22.32 seconds – just 0.05 seconds short of another unofficial world record and faster than the official British record. Proud said: 'We all know what we came for. And that's world records. And so to be that agonizingly close, it's frustrating.'
Armstrong wasn't the only athlete to win 'clean'. American former world champion Fred Kerley won the men's 100m in 9.97 seconds, just shy of his personal best of 9.76. Drugs used at the Elite Games must be both legal and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Athletes took substances including testosterone, growth hormone, peptides and anabolic steroids, all of which are banned in traditional elite sport.
But organisers argue many athletes use enhancement drugs secretly anyway, and that allowing them to do so openly will make competitions safer. However, sporting bodies including the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) have branded the games 'immoral', 'dangerous' and 'irresponsible'. Meanwhile, World Athletics president Lord Coe described those taking part as 'moronic'. The games have garnered both widespread attention and backing. Founded by entrepreneurs Aron D'Souza and Maximilian Martin in 2023, the project has received support from billionaire Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr.
