Enhanced Games star attempting to beat his own world record that has stood for eight years

An athlete competing at the Enhanced Games - where certain performance-enhancing substances are permitted - is attempting to break his own world record that has stood for nearly eight years.

The inaugural event of the heavily-criticised Games takes place in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Four sports - athletics track, swimming, strongman and weightlifting - will be contested, with 42 athletes set to compete.

Those athletes are allowed to consume from a list of pre-selected performance-enhancing medication or drugs, or substances, that would otherwise be banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The event is being adminstered by Enhanced Group, which describes itself as 'an elite sports competition and performance products company committed to giving athletes and people alike access to products that optimize their health, performance and recovery'.

Several cryptocurrency investors have invested in the event, as well as a venture capital firm owned by Donald Trump Jr.

Founder Aron D'Souza has described it as 'the World Economic Forum, plus the Super Bowl'.

Enhanced say they will not make individual protocols available, but released clinical trial data which showed that 62 per cent of the 36 athletes canvassed were taking stimulants. Four of the 42 athletes are competing 'naturally'.

American sprinter Fred Kerley, a two-time Olympic medalist over 100 metres, is the most high-profile athlete taking part.

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British swimmers Emily Barclay and Ben Proud - who won silver at Paris 2024 in 50m freestyle - and sprinter Reece Prescod have also signed up.

There is one athlete at the event who is attempting to break his own official world record at an event where the use of PEDs is permitted.

Ukraine's Andriy Govorov holds the long course world record in the 50m butterfly event, which is included in the Enhanced Games schedule.

Govorov, who is now 33, set the record in 2018 with a time of 22.27.

He had plans to attempt to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but announced his retirement from competitive swimming in May 2025.

He confirmed days later that he would be competing in the Enhanced Games.

Govorov has been posting various videos of himself in training for the event on Instagram, and has stated that he is planning to go for a world record.

How have sporting bodies reacted to the Enhanced Games?

Unsurprisingly, the Enhanced Games have been universally panned by the relevant sporting bodies.

World Aquatics described the event as a 'circus' in a statement to LADbible: "Like clowns juggling knives, sadly, these athletes will get hurt performing in this circus.

"History has shown us time and time again the grave dangers of doping to human health. This is a sideshow to those who compete honestly, fairly, and respect the true spirit of sport."

In 2024, World Athletics chairman Sebastian Coe called the Enhanced Games 'b****cks' and added: "I can't really get excited about it.

"There's only one message, and that is if anybody is moronic enough to take part in it, and they are in the traditional part of our sport, they'll get banned for a long time."

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have dubbed the Games as a 'dangerous and irresponsible concept', and stated last May that they would examine whether the use of PEDs could breach criminal laws in Las Vegas.

"To be clear, WADA will encourage Anti-Doping Organizations to test involved athletes before, during and after this event, in order to protect the integrity of legitimate sport," the statement read.

"WADA will also work closely with its Athlete Council to ensure that athletes are fully informed of the risks."

WADA held a meeting with the IOC's Athletes' Commission in June, who called the Enhanced Games 'as athletes ... a betrayal of everything that we stand for' in a joint statement.

"Promoting performance-enhancing substances and methods sends a dangerous message - especially to current and future generations of athletes.

"Such performance-enhancing substances can lead to serious long-term health consequences - even death - and encouraging athletes to use them is utterly irresponsible and immoral. No level of sporting success is worth such a cost."