Earlier this month, the sports world was divided on the Enhanced Games — a “modern reinvention of the Olympic Games” that, crucially, won’t test competitors for drugs or any other performance enhancers. Now, the controversial concept backed by billionaire PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has dangled a $1.55 million carrot for Australian Olympian James Magnussen to come out of retirement and break the 50-metre freestyle record.
“Magnussen has the potential to show us what the human body, improved through science, is truly capable of,” explained Melbourne-born Enhanced Games founder and entrepreneur Dr Aron D’Souza.
“Whilst we have not spoken with James yet, we wish to publicly confirm the prize money that will inspire him and many other Olympic heroes to join the Enhanced movement.”
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“I do not doubt that James Magnussen, so known for his tenacity, determination, and giant six foot seven inches form, can break swimming’s most important world record.
D’Souza went on to pledge the Enhanced Games would write Magnussen a US$1 million (AU$1.55 million) cheque for breaking the 50-metre freestyle world record, before adding “there will be multiple million-dollar prizes” at the inaugural edition of the event.
“The first enhanced athlete to publicly break Usain Bolt’s [100-metre] world record will also get at least US$1 million (AU.$1.55 million),” said D’Souza.
It didn’t take long before James Magnussen himself publicly responded during a recent podcast appearance, assuring the masses that’d kept himself in “reasonable shape” since retiring from competitive swimming in 2019.
“I’ll juice to the gills and I’ll break it in six months.”
James Magnussen (via The Guardian)
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With enough performance-enhancing substances and a strict training regime, it’s entirely possible for James Magnussen — who only turns 33 this April — to get the job done; the 50-metre freestyle record currently being held by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo at 20.91 seconds (set during the Brazilian Championships).
The Aussie notably won silver and bronze medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, as well as a smattering of gold across several major international competitions spanning the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
As for when we can reasonably expect to see James Magnussen make his Enhanced Games debut, registration opens in late 2024 with the view of happening sometime in 2025. The specifics (date, location, precise events, total prize pool) are still TBA.
