GoKawiilThe crowd’s murmur grew to a roar as Kristian Gkolomeev hit the final quarter of the 50-meter freestyle swim, the Las Vegas Strip backdrop alight behind him.
The 32-year-old Greek swimmer was racing in the final competition of the Enhanced Games, a controversial sporting event where 42 athletes from around the world—encouraged to dope using substances that would get them kicked out of the Olympics or most other international competitions—took their shot at world records, personal bests, and enormous prizes: $250,000 for first place, and $1 million for beating a world record.
They did so despite the condemnation of many top worldwide sporting agencies due to fairness concerns and major health risks like blood pressure, stroke, liver damage, and psychological issues; some bodies even promised to ban anyone who participated in Enhanced.
Gkolomeev, who has participated in four Olympics but never made the podium, beat the record with a time of 20.81 seconds, technically besting the 20.88 seconds set by Australian Cameron McEvoy at the China Open in March. Except he did it using performance-enhancing drugs and wearing a “supersuit” that World Aquatics had banned over 15 years ago due to the unfair advantage it gave swimmers (as such, the record won’t be counted as official.)
Kristian Gkolomeev at the Enhanced Games. Photograph: Greg Doherty/Getty Images
“I had a lot of fun. This is amazing," Gkolomeev said after his Sunday evening victory, according to Reuters. “I'm going to continue next year. Maybe I'll break it again."
The night had been a disappointment to that point. No world records had fallen or even come particularly close, despite a lot of hype, including American sprinter Fred Kerley vowing Olympic champion Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record in the 100-meter dash would be “destroyed.” (Kerley’s 9.97-second time would have placed him last at the 2024 Paris Olympics.) The invite-only crowd was populated heavily by jacked bros posing for a jumbotron “flex cam” between competitions; stands were quarter empty or more the entire time.
But even before that big closing moment, the Enhanced Games were dotted with elements of credibility I hadn’t entirely expected. The argument about how it’s better to have athletes who are going to dope anyway under medical supervision makes some sense from a harm reduction standpoint—though experts have doubts—and the $50 million temporary facility that housed the event was impressive: it featured a four-lane Olympic size 50-meter pool and a 100-meter sprinting track, plus an elevated podium for weightlifting events.