The inaugural Enhanced Games in Las Vegas promised to change the face of sports forever by allowing athletes to openly use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
Backed by venture capital and biotech investors, organizers hyped a glitzy night where heavily doped athletes would shatter world records.
Instead, the highly controversial event turned into a massive win for clean sport—and a hilariously embarrassing night for the athletes relying on chemistry over hard work.
To the shock of organizers, three completely drug-free athletes entered the competition, dominated their events, and walked away with massive cash prizes, leaving the “enhanced” field in the dust.
Fred Kerley Wins Enhanced Games 100m Dash While Clean
The biggest storyline of the night belonged to American sprinting superstar Fred Kerley.
The Paris Olympics silver medalist shocked the sporting world by signing up for the event, but he chose to compete entirely clean.
Facing a field of sprinters openly using combinations of testosterone, human growth hormone (HGH), and stimulants, Kerley proved that elite genetics and disciplined training still reign supreme.
He blew past the competition to win the men’s 100-meter dash, pocketing a cool $250,000 prize.
After the race, Kerley didn’t hold back. Instead of playing nice, he immediately clapped back at his heavily medicated rivals.
“Man, they need to do better than that,” Kerley said with a laugh after his victory. “They need to work a little bit harder, get on that sh*t a little bit more.”
Clean Athletes Dominate Doped Rivals In Las Vegas
Kerley wasn’t the only drug-free athlete to expose the Enhanced Games’ hype.
Barbadian sprinter Tristan Evelyn also raced entirely clean and secured a dominant victory in the women’s 100-meter final, clocking a time of 11.25 seconds.
Evelyn used her post-race interview to send a clear message to the sports world: “This proves that winning takes more than chemistry.” Like Kerley, Evelyn took home $250,000 for her performance.
American swimmer Hunter Armstrong made it a clean sweep for the natural athletes, winning the men’s 50-meter backstroke without the help of any banned substances.
While the giant stadium screens proudly flashed the percentages of drugs the rest of the field was taking—with graphics boasting “90.5% testosterone esters” and “78.6% human growth hormone”—it was the clean athletes who stole the spotlight and the prize money.
Only One Enhanced Games World Record Broken After Five Hours
For an event that promised to redefine human capability, the actual athletic output was incredibly underwhelming.
Despite five hours of competition, organizers were left sweating as world record attempts repeatedly failed.
Even Icelandic strongman Thor Bjornsson—famous for his role in Game of Thrones—failed to break his own deadlift record of 510kg.
The night grew so desperate that organizers began ripping up basic sporting regulations just to manufacture drama.
When Canadian weightlifter Boady Santavy failed his three permitted lifts, the stadium announcer suddenly piped up over the PA to give him an unscripted fourth attempt. He failed that one, too.
Only in the very last event of the night did organizers get the relief they were looking for.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev swam a 20.81-second mark in the men’s 50m freestyle, edging out the official world record by 0.07 seconds.
However, even that “record” came with a massive asterisk. Not only was Gkolomeev doping, but he was also permitted to wear a high-tech skinsuit that has been strictly outlawed by elite Olympic swimming federations for years.
Will The Enhanced Games Return Next Year?
Despite the underwhelming performances from the doped athletes and the embarrassing dominance of the clean competitors,
Enhanced Games CEO Maximilian Martin claimed victory. Martin bowed at Gkolomeev’s feet and insisted the event had “changed the world.”
An estimated 250,000 viewers tuned into the YouTube livestream, which heavily promoted testosterone creams and supplements available on the Enhanced website.
Martin has already promised the event will return next year, but after Fred Kerley and company proved that elite training still beats a syringe, the gimmick may already be losing its luster.
