Record 50m freestyle time at controversial Enhanced Games

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Record 50m freestyle time at controversial Enhanced GamesImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Gkolomeev has failed to make the podium at four Olympic GamesByPaul BattisonBBC Sport JournalistPublished2 hours agoGreece's Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to beat a world record at the controversial Enhanced Games in Las Vegas. The 32-year-old clocked 20. 81 seconds in the men's 50m freestyle, eclipsing Australian Cameron McEvoy's 20.

88 which he set in March, but Gkolomeev's time will not be recognised by official authorities. Results at the inaugural Games are considered illegal by global sporting bodies, such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), because athletes can take banned performance-enhancing drugs. The competition featured events in athletics, weightlifting and swimming, with Gkolomeev setting his time wearing a polyurethane suit, which is banned in official competitions.

The Details

World Aquatics has condemned the event as a "circus, built on short-cuts", while Gkolomeev was rewarded by Enhanced Games organisers with $250,000 (£185,000) for winning and a $1m bonus (£741,000) for the unofficial record. "I'm going to say it's not bad at all. This is going to change my life to the good, for sure," said Gkolomeev.

"It's a big help for me and my family. And yeah, I'm going to continue next year. Maybe I'll break it again.

"Enhanced Games - a sporting revolution or dangerous doping? Watch on iPlayerThe majority of the 42 athletes taking part used performance-enhancing substances and Enhanced Games said "13 athletes set personal bests". The event was played out in front of a curated crowd of around 2,500, with tickets not on sale to the general public.

What Experts Say

On the track, American former world champion Fred Kerley - one of the athletes competing 'clean' - won the men's 100m in 9. 97 seconds, which was short of his personal best of 9. British swimmer Ben Proud, who won silver in the men's 50m freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics, triumphed in the 50m butterfly, clocking 22.

05secs short of Andrii Govorov's world record but faster than his personal best - and British record time - of 22. "We all know what we came for. And that's world records.

And so to be that agonizingly close, it's frustrating," Proud said. Another British Olympic swimmer, Emily Barclay, won the women's 50m freestyle in 24. 09, around half a second slower than the world record.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.