Magnussen finished last in 100m Freestyle; Clean swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev takes home $350,000
Updated ,first published
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev became $1.75 million richer by winning the 50-meter freestyle race at the Advanced Games, knocking Australian James Magnussen into last place in a row.
Magnussen’s quest for victory in Las Vegas came to nothing as he touched the wall in fourth place in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 22.35.
Gkolomeev completed the world record in 20.81 seconds, set by Cam McEvoy in March, but this record will not be officially confirmed or recognized because it was done with banned substances in his body and a swimsuit that gave him a significant advantage.
That didn’t stop Gkolomeev and the Enhanced Games organizers from celebrating wildly after the race. As well as the $250,000 ($350,000) winning prize, the former Olympic 50m finalist will also take home a $1 million ($1.4 million) bonus for beating McEvoy’s time.
Despite finishing last in both races, Magnussen collected $140,000 in prize money and a lucrative entry fee from the one-day event.
Kerley wins 100m sprint but falls well short of Bolt’s 100m record
US sprinter Fred Kerley won the 100-meter sprint final at the Advanced Games but could not break either the world record or personal best.
Kerle athlete was competing Without performance enhancing drugs in Las Vegas He tried to break Usain Bolt’s World Record of 9.58 seconds in the 100 meters, but could not break his personal record of 9.76 and crossed the finish line with 9.97.
With just 53,506 views on his YouTube stream, the 2022 world 100 meters champion and two-time Olympic medalist had to endure two false starts before finishing first.
The sprinter was disappointed with his rivals in Las Vegas and said he was ready to race again that day.
They need to train a little more and put in a little more effort, (there has been) a lot of false starts, a lot of skipping. A lot of people don’t want to manage the qualifiers or anything, they need to do better than that:
Magnussen finished last as clean swimmer earns $350,000 at Advanced Games
Australian swimmer James Magnussen finished last in the 100-meter freestyle race at the Enhanced Games.
The two-time Australian athlete, who used performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision to compete in the inaugural event, touched the wall fourth in a time of 49.44 seconds; this was 2.34 seconds off his personal best from 2012.
Despite the advantage of banned substances and a “supersuit”, Magnussen was no match for Greek Kristian Gkolomeev, who won in 46.6 seconds, 0.2 seconds off Pan Zhanle’s world record.
Gkolomeev will receive US$250,000 ($350,000), while Magnussen will again earn US$50,000 ($70,000). He has one more event in the 50m freestyle and this race will start shortly after 2pm AEST.
Magnussen wore a special gold jersey for the event after signing as the first athlete for the Advanced Games two years ago.
If the 35-year-old can swim faster than Cam McEvoy’s official world record of 20.88 seconds, he will have the chance to earn a US$1 million ($1.4 million) bonus in the 50m freestyle, but judging by his recent performance, that will be a tall order. Gkolomeev is the biggest favourite.
But if anyone beats McEvoy’s time, it won’t be a world record because swimmers are either taking banned substances or wearing specially made swimsuits that give them an advantage.
Armstrong knocked out doping athletes
A clean swimmer from the United States pocketed US$250,000 ($350,000) by beating athletes taking performance-enhancing substances at the controversial Enhanced Games.
The new sporting event, criticized by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee as “completely irresponsible and immoral”, got off to a disastrous start on Sunday, with the YouTube stream freezing for 11 minutes after just seven minutes of action.
Once the technical issue was resolved, Advanced Games critics and advocates of clean sport celebrated the narrow victory as two-time Olympic champion Hunter Armstrong won the men’s 50-meter backstroke.
Armstrong, the former world record holder in the event, touched the wall in 24.21 seconds, besting Ireland’s Shane Ryan (25.23), one of 36 athletes to use performance-enhancing substances under strict medical supervision at these Games.
He fell 0.66 seconds behind Russian swimmer Kliment Kolesnikov’s world record.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist signed for the Advanced Games due to financial difficulties after his sponsor laid him off after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
His latest victory earned him far more money than he would have earned competing in the sport’s traditional division. Armstrong, who was still subject to drug tests while in Las Vegas, has stated that he wants to compete in his home Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Events to watch out for in Advanced Games
- 11.21 AEST – Women’s 100m sprint first round
- 11.39 AEST – James Magnussen 100m freestyle
- 11.51 AEST – Fred Kerley in 100m sprint heats
- 12.41 AEST – With men’s 50m butterfly world record holder Andrii Govorov
- 12.55pm AEST – Deadlift competition with Hafthor Björnsson and Mitchell Hooper
- 13.20 AEST – Women’s 100m freestyle
- 13.43 AEST – Women’s 100m sprint final with Shania Collins, Taylor Anderson and Tristan Evelyn
- 13.56 AEST – Men’s 100m butterfly final
- 14:11 AEST – Fred Kerley in the men’s 100 meters final
- 14.25 AEST – 50m freestyle with James Magnussen, Ben Proud and Kristian Gkolomeev
- 14.43 AEST – Closing ceremony
- 14.53 AEST – Killers concert
However, World Aquatics has threatened that any athletes taking part in the Advanced Games will not be able to compete in events such as the world championships or the Olympics.
“I feel pretty good,” Armstrong said. “I’ve been feeling really smooth in the water lately and this super suit is crazy. This suit is a game changer.”
Armstrong also added US$125,000 ($175,000) to his prize money by placing second in the 100-meter freestyle. He was 1.35 seconds ahead of Magnussen.
American sprinter Fred Kerley will compete in the 100-meter sprint later Sunday – he clocked 9.93 seconds in the heats – and is another athlete who refuses to take performance-enhancing substances such as testosterone and peptides. Kerley is aiming for Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58, but it is unlikely to be broken.
Rapper Tyga, who has 46 million followers, is also in attendance.
Medical experts have warned about the possible long-term effects of taking such performance-enhancing substances.
More to come
Tom Decent is chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
