Four-time Olympian Kristian Gkolomeev has stunned the swimming world by breaking the men's 50m freestyle world record while secretly training for the controversial Enhanced Games, becoming an instant millionaire in the process.
The Greek swimmer clocked a blistering 20.89 seconds in a private trial in Greensboro Aquatics Centre in North Carolina on February 25, bettering the 2009 world record of 20.91 set by Brazilian César Cielo, a swim that was drenched in its own controversies.
The performance not only etched Gkolomeev's name into history but also earned him a $1 million prize from the Enhanced Games, an incentive promised to any athlete who breaks a current world record.
At the time of the trial, Magnussen was 10 weeks into his course of performance-enhancing drugs and was the focus of the event. But at only three weeks into his course of the drugs, Gkolomeev managed to beat Magnussen to the $1 million dollar prize, a surprise to him as much as anybody else.
"I was there for training, to see the facility, to feel more comfortable about my try two months later," he said.
"There was no pressure. All eyes were on James.
"I swim and I touch the wall and see 28.89 and I'm like, no way, no way. And the suit that I had on, it's not the good suit which they used in 2009... it's more for open water.”
Although Gkolomeev had just become a millionaire, he had to keep the secret to himself until the Enhanced Games had their official launch later in the year.
"It still feels like I never did it, you know, because nobody knew... I feel like it didn't happen," he said.
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Gkolomeev draws up his decision to compete in the games to three reasons.
"Most important is fair pay from swimming," he said.
"Unfortunately, I didn't make any money in Greece.
"From the last two Olympic Games, I got fifth (in the 50m freestyle) and nothing really changed... it's kind of frustrating.
"I sat down and thought about it 'One successful year at the Enhanced Games, I can probably make as much as I would have made in almost 10 careers.'
"That's huge. And I have a family now, I have a three-year-old boy, and I want us to live more comfortably."
Secondly, Gkolomeev believed that not all swimmers he competed against in the Olympics were competing drug-free
"I was suspecting, but you never know, I cannot prove it," he said.
"But us athletes, sometimes we understand something sketchy."
And lastly.
"I always wanted to see what my full potential can be... I was really interested to see what's possible," he said.
As Gkolomeev suggested, he was not wearing an ideal swimsuit for the 50 metre sprint event, leaving room for the record to be beaten in an even quicker time.
But what made Gkolomeev's performance even more shocking was the fact that Magnussen was seen as the main contender to finally topple the longstanding world record. So much so, he couldn't believe what his training partner had done.
"I looked out the door and heard the starter gun go off," he said.
"I was probably at the 35-metre mark when I saw Kristian go past. He was absolutely flying. I was like, ‘Holy shit, that's fast'.
"I looked up, and it was 20.89. It was bizarre. People were running into rooms everywhere. Kristian had broken the world record. It was crazy.”
The Enhanced Games are set to get underway in Las Vegas in May 2026.
