Magnussen flops at Enhanced Games, finishes last

James Magnussen's debut at the controversial Enhanced Games proved to be a significant disappointment, as the Australian swimmer finished dead last in the men's 100-meter freestyle. Despite two years of supervised doping, Magnussen was soundly beaten by athletes competing without performance-enhancing drugs.

The Olympic silver medallist touched the wall in 49.44 seconds, a time more than 2 seconds slower than his personal best. This performance was starkly contrasted by the event's winner, Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev, who clocked 46.60 seconds, narrowly missing the world record of 46.40 set by Pan Zhanle.

American swimmer Hunter Armstrong, competing as a "non-enhanced athlete," secured second place with a new personal best of 48.09 seconds. Ireland's Shane Ryan finished third in 48.92 seconds. Magnussen's last-place finish, however, did not come without financial reward, as he is set to receive $US50,000 for participating, with the potential for a $US1 million bonus for breaking a world record.

The Enhanced Games, taking place in Las Vegas, permit athletes to use performance-enhancing substances such as testosterone, EPO, and human growth hormone. This approach has drawn sharp criticism from the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency, who have labeled the concept a dangerous "betrayal" of sports integrity. Magnussen, the first athlete to sign up for the event in February 2024, wore a distinctive gold super suit, reminiscent of those banned by World Aquatics in 2009.