Only one world record broken in Las Vegas’ ‘Enhanced Games’ as CEO claims they ‘changed the world’
“We are here to stay. We have changed the world tonight.”
Loading the front page…
“We are here to stay. We have changed the world tonight.”
The controversial "Enhanced Games," a sports competition where athletes are allowed to make use of performance-enhancing drugs and methods such as steroids and doping, was only able to break one world record in swimming at the events.
The games, taking place in Las Vegas, also offered a huge financial incentive of $1 million for athletes who broke any official world records during the competition. However, after there were days of hype surrounding the games, only one athlete managed to get the $1 million prize. Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only winner of the $1 million jackpot after breaking the world record for the 50-meter men's freestyle.
Gkolomeev completed the race in 20.81 seconds while wearing a high-buoyancy bodysuit, which was seven hundredths of a second faster than the previous record at 20.88 seconds held by Cameron McEvoy.
In the 100-meter sprint—despite predictions from athlete Fred Kerley that Usain Bolt’s record of 9.58 seconds would be “destroyed”—did not see any record-breaking runs. Kerley himself ran the race in 9.81 seconds, which would have placed him last in the Olympics two years ago. During that competition, he ran a 9.81 and won the bronze medal, per the AP.
The one record-breaking performance may have saved the organizers of the Enhanced Games from complete embarrassment, as those pushing the competition had promised world-record-breaking performances but only saw one. Venture capitalists who kicked off the games have framed it as a way to showcase athletes unlocking new levels of performance. There were 42 events in all in swimming, track, as well as weightlifting.
Enhanced went public earlier this month at a $.12 billion valuation, per Yahoo Sports, and is selling a range of products promising to enhance performance as well as longevity.
“The core strategic question is simple: which brand will consumers trust when it comes to human enhancement?” Enhanced Games co-founder Christian Angermayer said last month in a post to Substack. “I believe consumers will trust the company that can show them — credibly, scientifically, and transparently — how elite athletes are using these protocols to safely unlock new levels of performance.
“I believe consumers will observe the tangible results our athletes achieve and seek to apply those enhancements to their own lives. Enhancements are not only relevant to breaking world records — (in my honest opinion) they can help anyone reach new heights: whether running a marathon faster, performing better as a business executive, or simply having more energy to spend time with family and friends,” he added.
When Gkolomeev won the race at the last event, Enhanced Games CEO Maximilian Martin gave the swimmer a bear hug, likely thankful to have just the one world-record broken in the last event of the competition.
“We have arrived in mainstream culture,” Martin claimed. “We are here to stay. We have changed the world tonight.”
With the power of enhancements we can prove we are the best we can ever think of and you are living proof of that,” he told the crowd of influencers and biotech investors. “For the last three days Enhanced took over the internet. Enhanced is culture. And now people can also get enhanced and be the best they have ever been.”
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
