Las Vegas: A clean swimmer from the United States has beaten athletes who have taken performance-enhancing substances to pocket $US250,000 ($350,000) at the controversial Enhanced Games.
The controversial new sporting event, which has been slammed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Olympic Committee as “utterly irresponsible and immoral”, began disastrously on Sunday when its YouTube stream froze for 11 minutes after just seven minutes of action.
Once the technical issue was fixed, critics of the Enhanced Games and advocates for clean sport celebrated a small win when two-time Olympian Hunter Armstrong won the men’s 50m backstroke event.
Armstrong, a former world record holder in the event, touched the wall in a time of 24.21 seconds to edge out Ireland’s Shane Ryan (25.23), who has been one of the 36 athletes at these Games taking performance-enhancing substances under strict medical supervision.
It was 0.66 seconds outside Russian swimmer Kliment Kolesnikov’s world record.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist signed on with the Enhanced Games due to financial difficulty after his sponsor cut him following the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Events to keep an eye on at the Enhanced Games
- 11.21am AEST – Women’s 100m sprint round one
- 11.39pm AEST – James Magnussen in 100m freestyle
- 11.51pm AEST – Fred Kerley in the heats of 100m sprint
- 12.41pm AEST – Men’s 50m butterfly with world record holder Andrii Govorov
- 12.55pm AEST – Deadlift competition with Hafthor Björnsson and Mitchell Hooper
- 1.20pm AEST – Women’s 100m freestyle
- 1.43pm AEST – Women’s 100m sprint final with Shania Collins, Taylor Anderson and Tristan Evelyn
- 1.56pm AEST – Men’s 100m butterfly final
- 2.11pm AEST – Fred Kerley in men’s 100m final
- 2.25pm AEST – 50m freestyle with James Magnussen, Ben Proud and Kristian Gkolomeev
- 2.43pm AEST – Closing ceremony
- 2.53pm AEST – Killers concert
His latest victory has earned him significantly more money than he would have won by racing in the traditional part of the sport. Armstrong, who is still being subjected to drug tests while in Las Vegas, has stated a desire to compete at a home Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.
However, World Aquatics has threatened that any athlete who associates with the Enhanced Games won’t be able to compete in their events, such as world championships or Olympics.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Armstrong said. “I’ve just felt really smooth in the water lately, and just this supersuit is crazy. This suit is game-changing.”
American sprinter Fred Kerley will race later on Sunday in the 100m sprint and is another athlete who has refused to take performance-enhancing substances such as testosterone and peptides.
A number of influencers and celebrities have descended on Resorts World Las Vegas ahead of the main event at 6pm local time (11am AEST) where Australia’s James Magnussen will go for a shot at a $US1 million bonus ($1.4 million) if he can swim faster than Cam McEvoy’s official world record of 20.88 seconds.
It would not be a world record, though, because Magnussen is taking banned substances and wearing a specially made suit that gives him and other athletes an extra edge at these Games.
Rapper Tyga, who boasts 46 million followers, is in attendance.
Medical professionals have warned about the potential long-term effects of taking such performance-enhancing substances.
More to come
Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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