Las Vegas (AFP) – Juiced-up athletes narrowly failed to “beat” world records in early contests at the first-ever Enhanced Games on Sunday in Las Vegas, despite using performance-enhancing drugs that have sparked health concerns. The vast majority of the 42 sprinters, swimmers, and weightlifters taking part in the divisive event are on combinations of testosterone, peptides, anabolic steroids, and other substances banned by events like the Olympics. The Games have been denounced as dangerous by athletics governing bodies, which have said they will not recognize any records set at the event.
But participants, lured by prize money of up to $1 million for surpassing world records and $250,000 for event wins, include Olympic medallist swimmers James Magnussen, Cody Miller, and Ben Proud. In the men’s 100m freestyle swim, Greece’s Kristian Gkolomeev clocked 46.60 seconds, just fractionally off Pan Zhanle’s world best of 46.40. “It was very close to the world record. I really wanted to do it, but it’s OK,” said Gkolomeev. “I felt at the end I died a little bit, but I didn’t really train for the 100 this year; definitely I will take that,” added Gkolomeev, who will also race in the 50m freestyle later Sunday. Britain’s Emily Barclays won the women’s 50m freestyle in 24.09, around half a second slower than the world record.
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Co-founder Max Martin has predicted “quite a few” world records will be unofficially “beaten.” But the first half of the event did not bear that out. Weightlifter Beatriz Piron, who reportedly surpassed a world record in training, attempted to get the Games off with a bang by lifting 100 kg in the women’s snatch but narrowly failed. On the men’s side, Canada’s Boady Santavy and US lifter Wesley Kitts attempted record snatch lifts of 183 kg and 197 kg respectively, but fell short—despite organizers bending the rules to give each a fourth attempt. “I hit a lot of PRs in training. Not 197 yet… Man, if I had about four more weeks (in training) I’d say I’d have had a good shot at it,” said Kitts.
The day’s first swimming event was won by an athlete who chose not to dope. Hunter Armstrong won the men’s 50m backstroke in 24.21 seconds, defeating two rivals on performance-enhancing drugs. US swimmer Miller rolled back the years to win the 50m men’s breaststroke, telling the crowd he was delighted to shave “seven-tenths (of a second) off my personal best at 34″—though his time of 26.55 did not threaten Adam Peaty’s 25.95 world record. Enhanced Games swimmers are also wearing the types of “supersuits” that led to many official records falling around the 2008 Beijing Olympics but were subsequently prohibited.
Former 100m sprint champion Fred Kerley—one of the few athletes competing without drugs at the event—set the pace in the men’s heats with 9.93 seconds, followed by “enhanced” athlete Emmanuel Matadi on 9.95.
The Enhanced Games are taking place at a purpose-built $50 million arena in a Las Vegas casino parking lot, a structure to be dismantled hours after the final race. In a marriage of sports, biohacking, politics, and entertainment, billionaire Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr. are among the event’s investors, while rock band The Killers will play a closing set. Health experts warn that several of the substances could risk “life-shortening and fatal consequences,” including heart, liver, and kidney issues, as so little is known about their long-term effects.
But Enhanced Games officials say all medications are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and no expense has been spared on hiring top medical experts. Chief medical officer Guido Pieles described the risk of the medications as “clearly there” but “really manageable.” His team has published the percentage of athletes taking each substance, with Martin vowing that “transparency is core to our DNA.” Yet athletes said that they are not able to disclose the specific combinations each has taken. Parent company Enhanced sells many of the substances being taken by its athletes to the public.
© 2024 AFP
