Cam McEvoy has hit back publicly after fellow Australian James Magnussen finished last in both his Enhanced Games freestyle races, despite Magnussen preparing with performance-enhancing drugs ahead of the controversial event in Las Vegas.
Cam McEvoy didn’t just watch James Magnussen’s Enhanced Games performances play out. He responded to them.
After the inaugural Enhanced Games delivered a world record only in the 50m freestyle — and only by a sliver — McEvoy posted on Instagram: “Seriously?!. That’s all you got!” The message came after Kristian Gkolomeev went under McEvoy’s official 50m freestyle world record time by just 0.07 seconds at the pro-doping themed event.
Gkolomeev also won the 100m freestyle. Magnussen, meanwhile, finished last in both races out of four swimmers, with times well below his personal bests. It was that combination — last-place finishes while preparing with performance-enhancing drugs — that drew the sharpest reaction.
In the comments and beyond, fans piled on. One wrote. “So an enhanced suit that would have (been) banned in comp. and PEDS only eked him (Gkolomeev) the record by 0.07 seconds?” Another added: “No one is impressed with these results.” A separate user said. “Lmao this is pathetic. Barely sets a WR juiced out of his mind.” Others called it “an abomination of sport. ” and pointed to Magnussen’s results as a blow to the event’s credibility.
McEvoy’s own 50m world mark was set in March, and Gkolomeev’s time came in at 20.81 seconds, beating McEvoy’s 20.88. But the Games’ record won’t count officially because banned substances were involved. Gkolomeev still celebrated the performance and treated the financial upside as the real victory.
Gkolomeev won a $US1 million ($A1.39m) bonus for going under the world record time. and the 50m freestyle was the last event on the Games program. His quote captured the mood he brought to the prize: “I’m going to say it’s not bad at all.” He added. “This is going to change my life to the good. for sure. And yeah, I’m going to continue next year. Maybe I’ll break it again.”.
For Magnussen, it was a grim outing. The 35-year-old — Australia’s only competitor at the Games — finished last in both the 50m and 100m freestyle. In the 50m, he clocked 22.35 seconds, and in the 100m he ran 49.44. Both were outside the personal-best times he set more than a decade ago in the two events.
Gkolomeev won the 100m in 46.6, just outside the world record time of 46.4 set by China’s Pan Zhanle at the Paris Olympics.
Magnussen’s struggles contrasted with the event’s selling point: money and “enhancement.” There was $US250. 000 ($A358. 000) prize money available for race winners. and a $US1 million ($A1.4 million) bonus for bettering the 100m freestyle or 50m world record times. Magnussen had also been marketed as a major name from the start. He was the first athlete signed to the Enhanced Games, a deal that came after his retirement.
Magnussen is a two-time Olympian and dual 100m freestyle world champion. He retired from swimming in 2018, only to return with the arrival of the Enhanced Games.
The event itself has faced widespread backlash from world sporting authorities due to its pro-doping ethos. Fans also condemned athletes who took part on Monday, Australian time.
The Enhanced Games are tied to business and marketing that reached beyond the pool. Melbourne-born entrepreneur Aron D’Souza founded the Games, and has since left the company that became The Enhanced Group. On May 8, the company officially launched on the New York Stock Exchange with a reported $1.2 billion enterprise valuation. The performance-enhancing drugs being taken by Magnussen and other athletes are being marketed and sold by The Enhanced Group.
At the same time, some competitors said they were clean and still won events. American Fred Kerley and Tristan Evelyn from Barbados took out the 100m sprints, while Hunter Armstrong from the US claimed the men’s 50m backstroke.
One storyline was obvious by the end of the program: Gkolomeev’s dominance delivered the biggest headline and the biggest pay day — while Magnussen’s two last-place finishes. paired with the event’s drug-fueled preparation. left the most visible question hanging in the air. What was the point of the enhancement if the results still fell short?.
Cam McEvoy James Magnussen Enhanced Games Kristian Gkolomeev 50m freestyle world record 100m freestyle pro-doping Las Vegas Instagram Aron D'Souza The Enhanced Group
If they’re all on “enhanced” stuff then how is anyone shocked he got last… sounds like a gimmick.
Wait so McEvoy is mad that the guy who took PEDs still didn’t look good? Like he wanted Magnussen to win harder?? This whole thing is embarrassing.
Magnussen got last bc he wasn’t juiced enough or something, right? Like if the event is PED themed then why would any of them be surprised. Also the 0.07 seconds thing makes it sound fake.
Enhanced Games… enhanced suit… PEDs… and still barely a record by 0.07 seconds? That seems like fraud but they won’t count it so I guess it’s just for vibes. The dude who broke it still won the million which is the only part anyone cares about anyway. This is why I don’t watch swim events, too many loopholes and Las Vegas hype.