Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to break a world record at the Athletics Games in Las Vegas on Sunday, winning the men’s 50m in a division where competitors are allowed to take performance-enhancing substances that have raised health concerns.
His time of 20.81 seconds – which is not officially recognized – came in the final event of the night, avoiding the embarrassment of organizers who had predicted that many world records would be broken due to the open and modern doping regime.
Gkolomeev, who was also wearing a “super suit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, went faster than Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s mark of 20.88 seconds set in March.
“It was a great race … I got it,” said Gkolomeev, who pocketed a $1 million bonus for the unofficial record.
“I will continue. Maybe next year I will break it again.”
The Enhanced Games have been criticized as dangerous by athletics governing bodies, which said they would not recognize records set at the event.
