Greece's Kristian Gkolomeev made headlines on the opening day of the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas by becoming the only athlete to break a world record. The 32-year-old swimmer completed the men's 50m freestyle in 20.81 seconds, surpassing Cameron McEvoy's previous record of 20.88 seconds set in March. However, Gkolomeev's achievement will not be recognized by official sporting authorities due to the event's controversial nature.

The Enhanced Games have faced criticism from global sporting bodies, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), as athletes are permitted to use banned performance-enhancing substances. Gkolomeev's record was achieved while wearing a polyurethane suit, which is also banned in official competitions.

For his record-breaking performance, Gkolomeev received $250,000 from the event organizers and an additional $1 million bonus for the unofficial record. He expressed his excitement, stating, "This is going to change my life to the good, for sure."

Among other notable performances:

• Fred Kerley won the men's 100m in 9.97 seconds, falling short of his personal best.
• Ben Proud, the British swimmer, won the 50m butterfly in 22.32 seconds, just shy of the world record.
• Emily Barclay claimed victory in the women's 50m freestyle with a time of 24.09 seconds.

The event attracted around 2,500 spectators, with tickets not available to the general public. Despite the allure of record-breaking performances, many governing bodies have condemned the games, calling them "immoral" and a "dangerous and irresponsible concept." The founders of the project, Aron D'Souza and Maximilian Martin, aim to bring transparency to enhancement in sports, but they face significant backlash from the athletic community.