It was a long wait, almost five hours. But when Kristian Gkolomeev finally hit the wall and secured the world record, it all seemed worth it. The Enhanced Games have faced controversy ever since they were announced, and just like that, the Greek swimmer’s win was widely questioned too. In fact, four-time Olympian Cameron McEvoy took a rather creative route instead of directly criticizing the result after his world record fell.

The Enhanced Games, founded by the Australian businessman Aron D’Souza, held its first-ever event in Las Vegas on Sunday amid worldwide criticism. The event allows the athletes to use substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Notably, World Aquatics termed the event a “circus, built on short-cuts.”

Meanwhile, McEvoy, rather than posting a statement, responded through memes. The Australian swimmer shared Gordon Ramsay’s viral meme on his Instagram story, where the chef screams at one of the participants with the caption, “Seriously, that’s all you’ve got?”

Moreover, in the previous story, he posted an iconic frame from the movie Space Jam starring Michael Jordan, where MJ is surrounded by aliens on the basketball court.

While Cameron McEvoy didn’t directly mention the Enhanced Games or target the swimmers involved, he questioned the event’s legitimacy with a creative swipe, joining other fans who were criticizing it. But the organizers of the Enhanced Games haven’t taken kindly to the fans calling this achievement fake.

“Any suggestions that Kristian’s time is illegitimate is disrespectful to his achievement, highly speculative, completely unfounded, and largely internet drivel that we reject,” a spokesperson said, as per The Guardian. “Our staff immediately prioritized their request and fully complied, yet another reflection of Enhanced’s commitment to respecting other sporting bodies.

“These continued accusations reflect an unwillingness by some to acknowledge the remarkable performance of our athletes, who set 22 personal best records last night.”

At the center of the issue stood Kristian Gkolomeev, who never managed to stand on an Olympic podium. Yet, he managed to win both the 50m and 100m freestyle, beating the world record in one of them. It wasn’t long ago that Cameron McEvoy set the world record.

At the end of March 25, McEvoy beat Cesar Cielo’s long-standing 2009 record, posting a 20.88 seconds in 50m freestyle. Last night, Gkolomeev elapsed it by 0.07 seconds. Ironically, Cesar completed his 20.91-second effort wearing the polyurethane “super suits” which were later banned.

On the other hand, the Enhanced Games facilitated Gkolomeev with a $1 million bonus for beating the world record and $250k for finishing first. And speaking after the victory, the Greek swimmer said,

“I’m going to say it’s not bad at all. This is going to change my life for the good, for sure. ⁠And yeah, I’m going to continue next year. Maybe I’ll break it again.”

Notably, Kristian Gkolomeev’s efforts won’t go in the official record books, as global sporting authorities considered the event illegal. 

Can Cameron McEvoy beat Kristian Gkolomeev’s Enhanced Games record?

Cameron McEvoy has already proved that he can beat Kristian Gkolomeev without the help of a substance and a super suit. In fact, this isn’t the first time that both swimmers have crossed paths in the 50m freestyle world record.

Before the inaugural edition, the Enhanced Games announced that Gkolomeev had unofficially broken Cesar Cielo’s record in February 2025. Apparently, he beat Cielo’s record by 0.02 seconds, finishing at 20.89 seconds. The effort also earned him a million-dollar bonus.

Months later, McEvoy took the record back at the China Swimming Open in Shenzhen, clocking 20.88 seconds. Notably, he surfaced both Cesar Cielo and Gkolomeev’s records without a suit and substance.

“It’s crazy to think that to ​get a world record without a suit, and without any performance-enhancing ​drugs, as ⁠a clean athlete, the bonus is zero dollars,” he said after the race.

The 32-year-old also highlighted that the first-place winner received $250k.

“Definitely room to improve even on the training side of things. I’m constantly refining it and developing it,” he added.

That means McEvoy might come after Kristian Gkolomeev’s record.