Enhanced Games: Kristian Gkolomeev Clocks 46.60 in 100 Free, One of Few to Set PBs
After more than a year of build-up, the inaugural edition of the Enhanced Games unfolded on Sunday in Las Vegas. Competition took place in swimming, track and weightlifting, with the majority of competitors having taken performance-enhancing drugs banned in conventional competition. Nine swimming events were on the docket, each with four competitors racing with the aid of polyurethane bodysuits banned from the sport since 2010.
The Enhanced organization advertised its “superhuman athletes” breaking world records, although no records achieved during this competition will be recognized by World Aquatics or any other international body. Last year, Kristian Gkolomeev provided initial proof-of-concept when he swam faster than the existing world record in the 50 freestyle after taking PEDs and donning a banned suit, and he again went under the current world record in the final event in Vegas.
Gkolomeev bested his previous top time of 20.89 by going 20.81. That time was faster than the world record of 20.88, which Aussie Cam McEvoy posted in legitimate conditions in March at the China Open. Gkolomeev was the only swimmer able to achieve the stated goal of the entire sordid endeavor: Swimming under the existing world record in the 50 free.
Ben Proud bested his legal 50 free times at 20.98, but both Andriy Govorov and Magnussen failed to. Govorov was three tenths slower in 21.79.
Gkolomeev also won the men’s 100 free in 46.60, two seconds quicker than his best time of 48.68 from his professional career. That time was off the world record of 46.40, set by China’s Pan Zhanle at the 2024 Olympics. The Greek swimmer finished almost 1.5 seconds clear of his competitors. Hunter Armstrong of the United States, racing as a non-enhanced athlete, finished second in 48.09, followed by Ireland’s Shane Ryan (48.92) and Australia’s James Magnussen (49.44).
Magnussen was awful in the 50 free, the Australian nearly a full second slower than his best of 21.52 in 22.35, a time that wouldn’t have qualified for the last Olympics nor for the final eight at Australian trials, all for the supposed figurehead of the drug-fueled stunt.
The most successful pre-doping swimmer to defect to the Enhanced Games claimed victory in his first event, swimming a time just five hundredths slower than the world record. Proud of Great Britain finished the 50 butterfly in 22.32, compared to the world record of 22.27 set by Govorov of Ukraine in 2018. Govorov was also in the race, placing second in 22.66, ahead of Germany’s Marius Kusch (22.92) and Ireland’s Max McCusker (23.39).
Earlier in the day, Armstrong finished well ahead of the field in the 50 backstroke. Armstrong joined the Games with hopes of securing the financial resources required to continue his professional career through the Los Angeles Olympics. Armstrong swam a time of 24.21, well off his career-best time of 23.71 which still stands as the American record. Ryan finished second in 25.23, with Egypt’s Sohib Khaled third (25.68) and Bulgaria’s Antani Ivanov fourth (25.76).
All four swimmers in the 100 fly were marginally quicker than their undoped times, Kusch leading the way in 51.28, .07 quicker. Ivanov was second in 51.61., with McCusker third in 51.78.
Cody Miller made his Enhanced Games debut with a 50 breaststroke time of 26.55, much quicker than the 27.24 at which he topped out during his pro career. Miller was followed to the wall by Brazil’s Felipe Lima (26.98), Russia’s Evgenii Somov (27.21) and Mexico’s Miguel de Lara Ojeda (27.82). Miller became a double winner later in the session: he topped the 100 breast in 59.47, finishing narrowly ahead of Somov (59.61) while Lima (1:01.94) and de Lara (1:02.86) completed the field.
The first women’s event, the 50 freestyle, went to Great Britain’s Emily Barclay in 24.09. That was well ahead of her conventional best of 24.94. Megan Romano, the American who returned to the sport to compete in the Enhanced Games, swam a time of 24.55 for second, ahead of Colombia’s Isabella Arcila (25.12) and Poland’s Natalia Fryckowska (26.14).
In the 100, Romano went 54.20. Barclay went 54.67.