James Magnussen flops at Enhanced Games, finishes final in 100m and 50m freestyle

James Magnussen’s first foray into the contentious Enhanced Games has led to disappointment, with the doped-up Australian Olympian ending final within the males’s 100-metre and 50m freestyle.

Incredibly, the Olympic silver medallist was properly crushed within the 100m by American Hunter Armstrong, who entered the occasion as a “non-enhanced athlete”.

Magnussen was additionally final within the four-man subject for the 50m, all of whom have been doping, ending in 21.52 seconds, which is shy of his private better of 20.98 set 13 years in the past.

“Enhanced” Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev gained each finals, going 0.07 of a second quicker than Australian Cameron McEvoy’s respectable 50m world document of 20.88.

He pocketed US$1 million for the document, the primary document of the meet within the last occasion within the pool.

“We arrived in mainstream culture; we are here to stay,” Games CEO Max Martin stated.

Earlier, Gkolomeev missed the 100m world document by 0.2 of a second, with non-enhanced Armstrong second in 48.25 seconds.

Ireland’s Shane Ryan trailed in third with 48.92 whereas Magnussen was final, swimming 49.44, greater than 2 seconds slower than his personal private greatest.

The end result will probably be significantly jarring for the 35-year-old Aussie, who was sporting a garish gold tremendous go well with, the kind banned by World Aquatics in 2009, in recognition of him being the primary athlete to enroll in the controversial occasion in February 2024.

Magnussen will possible not be too nervous in regards to the time although: even ending fourth he’ll pocket $US50,000 ($A70,000).

He will even swim the 50m freestyle on the occasion.

Athletes can declare a $US1 million bonus for breaking the present world document on the inaugural Enhanced Games, that are happening in a purpose-built area in Las Vegas.

The swimming is happening in a 50m, four-lane pool.

The idea of the Enhanced Games is that athletes can take performance-enhancing medicine together with testosterone, EPO and human development hormone.

Track and subject sprinting and weightlifting are additionally happening.

The International Olympic Committee and World Anti-Doping Agency have referred to as the idea a harmful “betrayal” of sports activities integrity.