Kristian Gkolomeev Sets Fastest 50-Meter Freestyle at First Enhanced Games

The first Enhanced Games concluded with a single world record. Kristian Gkolomeev swam the 50-meter freestyle in 20.81 seconds, the fastest time recorded in history. Gkolomeev, who stands 6 feet 6 inches tall, achieved the mark shortly after midnight on Memorial Day inside a Las Vegas ballroom.

He received a $1 million bonus for breaking the record and an additional $500,000 in prize money for winning two races at the event. Less than two years after signing with Enhanced, he has collected close to $3 million in total earnings. The competition, which launched in 2023, encouraged the use of performance-enhancing substances.

Athletes followed an eight-week cycle of testosterone, human growth hormone and stimulants such as Adderall at moderate dosages approved by the FDA only for therapeutic use. Almost all participants joined a clinical trial examining safe dosages for healthy people.

Christian Angermayer, the 48-year-old executive chairman and lead financier of Enhanced, stated he takes a larger weekly dose of testosterone than the athletes who competed.

Martin Chandler, a research fellow at the University of Birmingham, noted that the primary risk lies in the absence of clear data on when any dose becomes dangerous.