Picture this: a swimmer rockets down the pool, touches the wall, and the clock flashes 20.89 seconds. That time? It’s faster than the world record, the legendary 20.91 set by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo way back in 2009 during the super-suit era. And the man who did it? Kristian Gkolomeev. But here’s the catch: this wasn’t a FINA-sanctioned meet. This wasn’t even part of the Olympics or World Championships. The swim, conducted at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in February, was officially timed and recorded as part of a documentary project by the Enhanced Games, a proposed and controversial alternative sporting event that allows the use of performance-enhancing d—-.

Gkolomeev, whose official best remains 21.44 from the 2018 European Championships, didn’t hide anything. He said he had been using PEDs for just two weeks before that record-breaking swim — a raw experiment caught on camera by former Olympian Brett Hawke and later posted to YouTube. A photo of Gkolomeev holding a $1 million check was shared on Hawke’s Instagram Stories. That figure is tied to a public challenge first made when Australian Olympic medalist James Magnussen joined the Enhanced Games project. He, too, had been promised the same reward for breaking the 50m freestyle world record under the new “enhanced” conditions. And as for the swimmer who has managed to accomplish this feat is well in talks, so let’s learn more about him.

Who is Kristian Gkolomeev?

Kristian Tsvetanov Gkolomeev, born July 4, 1993, is a Greek sprint freestyle and butterfly swimmer of Bulgarian descent. He has competed in four Olympic Games — debuting in London 2012 and finishing fifth in the 50m freestyle final at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. His crowning international moment came in 2019, when he won silver at the World Championships in Gwangju.

Gkolomeev has also won four consecutive 50m freestyle medals at the European Championships from 2018 to 2024, including gold in Belgrade. And the credit for it all? Yeah, it goes back to his training days at the University of Alabama, where he clinched NCAA titles in 2014 and 2015.

As glorious as his professional life may look now, his personal life has been rather poignant. His mother, Kristina Golomeeva, died right after giving birth to him in Bulgaria owing to a medical error. And soon after, his family moved to Greece. Then came another blow. His father, Tvestan Golomeev, who was also a famous Bulgarian swimmer back in the day, died in 2010 after putting up a tough battle against cancer for eight months. This left him and his two brothers, Nikola and Ivan, navigating life in tough circumstances.

Though not much information is available regarding his personal life, he is said to have married a fellow swimmer, Lindsay Morrow Gkolomeev, back in 2018, from his alma mater. Beyond her, swimming is something that has kept him in constant company, and his recent go at the Enhanced Games? Stunning!

What are the Enhanced Games?

The Enhanced Games are a new sporting event that openly permits the use of performance-enhancing d—- under medical supervision. Founded in 2023 by Australian entrepreneur Aron D’Souza, the event markets itself as a “science-based alternative” to the Olympics and will feature athletes who are allowed to use substances banned in traditional sport. According to the BBC, the event will debut in May 2026, and it will include swimming, sprinting, and weightlifting.

The games labeled as ‘Steroid Olympics’ have met with criticism since their inception, and just recently from World Aquatics. “The Enhanced Games are not a sporting competition built on universal values like honesty, fairness, and equity: they are a circus, built on shortcuts,” the statement read.

“The enduring power of athletes to serve as role models for children and adults alike relies on their talent, hard work, respect, and friendship. That’s what we see in our champions and in our competitions, and that’s what we’ll continue to showcase.”

But for the founder of the Enhanced Games, Aron D’Souza, it holds greater significance. “This is the greatest gift I can give to humanity,” D’Souza told Insider Sport. “We are about taking athletes from the present and pulling them into the future…”

Backing for the project has also grown. As reported by The New York Post, a recent investment round led by Donald Trump Jr. secured a “double-digit” million-dollar funding boost. What do you think? Will this new format hit the ground running?