Here’s what they promised: Take world-class athletes, give them access to performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision, dangle million-dollar bonuses for world records, and see what happens. The inaugural Enhanced Games wasn’t subtle about its ambitions—this was science meeting sport at its most controversial intersection.
And for most of the night? Records stayed exactly where they were.
So Close You Could Almost Taste It
British swimmer Ben Proud touched the wall at 22.32 seconds in the 50m butterfly. The world record sits at 22.27. Five-hundredths of a second. That’s the difference between immortality and “really impressive, though.”
Fred Kerley—who made a point of saying he competed clean—came up about four-tenths short of the sprint record he was chasing. Even Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (yes, the Mountain from Game of Thrones) deadlifted a monstrous 475kg. Still 35kg below the world record, but let’s be real—that’s a Volkswagen Beetle.
The money was certainly there to motivate them. Weightlifters could pocket an extra $250,000 for breaking records. Swimmers and sprinters? A cool million on top of their first-place winnings.
Then Gkolomeev Showed Up
In the final event of the night—the men’s 50m freestyle—Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev did what everyone else couldn’t.
20.81 seconds.
That’s not just fast. That’s seven-hundredths of a second faster than Cameron McEvoy’s non-enhanced world record of 20.88. And just like that, Gkolomeev walked away with $250,000 for winning, plus the million-dollar record bonus. Not a bad night’s work.
For Gkolomeev, this was the moment that redefined a career built on “almost.” Three NCAA titles at Alabama, including the 50 free as a freshman back in 2014. Silver at the 2019 World Championships. Four Olympic Games between 2012 and 2024—not a single medal to show for it.
Until now.
The Elephant in the Pool
Look, everyone’s calling this “the Olympics on steroids,” and… well, yeah. But it’s more complicated than that. Not every athlete chose to enhance. Some competed clean, which makes the whole thing this strange hybrid—a mix of chemically assisted performances and traditional athleticism all thrown into the same pool.
The organizers made sure to emphasize the medical supervision angle. Strict protocols, safety monitoring, the whole nine yards. Whether that’s enough to satisfy critics is another question entirely.
What Happens Next?
So was this just a fluke? One guy breaks a record while everyone else falls short, and we call it a night?
Or is this the starting gun for something bigger—the first crack in a system that’s held world records sacred for decades? Guess we’ll find out if they do this again.
Conclusion
Let’s be honest: the organizers of the Enhanced Games are not some philanthropic NGO. Behind the talk about transparency and science lies a well-oiled commercial strategy. The event is also being used as a showcase for a multi-billion-dollar industry — the world of supplements, performance optimization, and yes, controversial products.
They will obviously take advantage of the spotlight to sell their programs at premium prices. textSome monthly subscriptions already cost around $200, with promises of “revolutionary” performance gains backed by aggressive marketing. Behind the futuristic slogans, the business model remains the same: turning the dream of rapid progress into a subscription machine.
On our side, we prefer a more transparent and accessible approach. With a fraction of that budget, and thanks to Wikistero’s advice, you can already benefit from free information, real user feedback, and guidance toward the most reliable stores. The goal is not to sell dreams, but to help people make informed decisions and avoid marketing traps.
