Greek swimmer Gkolomeev posts unofficial record at Enhanced Games

LAS VEGAS: Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to better a world-record time at the Enhanced Games on Sunday, clocking 20.81 seconds in the men's 50m freestyle at the Las Vegas event where competitors were allowed to use performance-enhancing substances.

His swim, which is not recognised as official, came in the final event of the night and gave organisers the breakthrough they had been seeking after predictions that several records would fall under what they had described as a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev also wore a synthetic supersuit that has long been banned in competitions such as the Olympics. His time was quicker than the 20.88 mark set by Australia's Cameron McEvoy in March.

After the race, Gkolomeev received a $1 million bonus for the unofficial record. He said:

It was a great race... I got it

He added:

Maybe next year I'll break it again.

The Enhanced Games have drawn condemnation from athletics authorities and anti-doping bodies, which have warned of serious health dangers for athletes. Participants were attracted by prize money that included $250,000 for event victories. The field included Olympic medallist swimmers James Magnussen, Cody Miller and Ben Proud.

Co-founder Max Martin had said before the competition that quite a few world records would be beaten, but the programme produced a series of near-misses before Gkolomeev's late success. Earlier in the evening, Gkolomeev swam 46.60 seconds in the 100m freestyle, short of the 46.40 world record.

Britain's Ben Proud won the men's 50m butterfly in 22.32 seconds, missing the world mark by 0.05 seconds. Proud said:

We all know what we came for. And that's world records. And so, to be that agonizingly close, it's frustrating

Martin told AFP that more records had been expected, but said live competition could not be predicted precisely. He also said some athletes were unable to compete because of injuries. Martin said:

I think tonight, yes, we did expect a few more world records to happen. But at the end of the day, this is live sports, and this is always something that you can never plan for

He added:

We've had certain injuries today with athletes that couldn't participate because of that

Clean athletes also won events

More than a dozen personal bests were recorded, including several by athletes who had come out of retirement. American swimmer Cody Miller won the men's 50m breaststroke and told spectators he was pleased to cut seven-tenths of a second from his personal best at the age of 34.

Although most of the 42 sprinters, swimmers and weightlifters in the competition were using substances such as testosterone and anabolic steroids, some athletes who chose to remain clean also won. Hunter Armstrong took the men's 50m backstroke in 24.21 seconds, beating two rivals who had used performance-enhancing drugs.

Unenhanced sprinters Fred Kerley of the United States and Tristan Evelyn of Barbados won the men's and women's 100m races. Kerley ran 9.97 seconds and Evelyn finished in 11.25. Kerley joked after his race:

Man, they got to do better than that. They need to train a little harder. Get on that shit a little bit more

Kerley is a former 100m world champion and is serving a suspension for missing drug tests.

Weightlifting attempts fall short

Weightlifters Beatriz Piron, Boady Santavy and Wesley Kitts all tried for unprecedented snatch lifts in their categories but were unsuccessful. Organisers also altered the rules to allow the two male lifters a fourth attempt each. Kitts said:

Man, if I had about four more weeks (in training) I'd say I'd have had a good shot at it

Hafthor Bjornsson, known to many viewers as The Mountain in Game of Thrones, also failed to surpass his own 510kg deadlift record.

Health concerns raised

Donald Trump Jr and billionaire Peter Thiel were among the investors in the event, which was staged at a purpose-built arena in a Las Vegas casino parking lot. Health experts warned that some of the substances being used could carry life-shortening and fatal consequences, including heart, liver and kidney problems, because little is known about the long-term effects of doping.

Enhanced Games officials said all medications used at the event had been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The parent company, Enhanced, also sells many of the substances used by its athletes to the public.