Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 25
Enhanced Games End With 1 Unofficial Record as 3 Clean Athletes Take Wins
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 25

Enhanced Games End With 1 Unofficial Record as 3 Clean Athletes Take Wins

10 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 25
  • Kristian Gkolomeev’s 20.81-second 50m freestyle—0.08 seconds faster than Cameron McEvoy’s mark—gave the inaugural Enhanced Games their only claimed record after five hours of missed targets.
  • That swim still will not count officially because Gkolomeev used banned drugs and an outlawed skinsuit, underscoring how the Las Vegas event fell short of promises to deliver multiple records.
  • Three drug-free athletes still won events: Fred Kerley took the men’s 100m, Tristan Evelyn won the women’s 100m in 11.25 seconds, and Hunter Armstrong captured the men’s 50m backstroke, each earning $250,000.
  • Other headline attempts fizzled, including Thor Bjornsson’s failed bid to top his 510kg deadlift best, while organizers even granted weightlifter Boady Santavy an extra snatch attempt after three misses.
  • Max Martin said the Games would return next year despite the underwhelming results; organizers said about 250,000 watched live on YouTube.
If drug-free athletes can beat doped rivals, what is the real point of the Enhanced Games?
Is medically-supervised doping a safer future for sports or just a high-risk human experiment?