Enhanced Games: Clean swimmer storms to victory in 50m backstroke in 'steroid Olympics'

Olympic gold medallist Hunter Armstrong finished first in the 50m backstroke event at the inaugural Enhanced Games in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 24. The Enhanced Games, dubbed as the Olympics on steroids, allow athletes to use approved performance-enhancing drugs. However, Armstrong participated as a 'clean athlete', meaning he did not use any drugs.

Armstrong swam 24.21s in the 50m backstroke to take the first spot in a field filled with athletes on performance-enhancing drugs. It was also the first swimming competition of the day at the Games. He was not the only one in the pool without taking drugs. Egypt's Sohib Khalid, one of the four competitors, also took part as a 'clean athlete'.

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Armstrong, a 2020 Olympic champion, was immediately tested by the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency after winning the race.

Armstrong: Lot of scrutiny against me

Armstrong was considering retirement after losing his main sponsor, but then joined Enhanced Games. He announced his move to join Enhanced Games in March and made it clear that he will be participating in the competition as a 'clean athlete'.

"There's a lot of scrutiny, not only against me but against the Enhanced Games," Armstrong said after his win. "I want them to test me because I don't want there to be a single doubt that I'm a man of my word."

"If I don't join Enhanced, I lose everything. If I do join Enhanced, I have a chance at not losing everything. My back was against the wall, so I had to reopen that conversation to see if it was a plausible option."

Armstrong also competed in the men's 100m freestyle where he finished second with a time of 48.09s. His first-place finish in the 50-meter backstroke helped him earn $250,000, while the second-place result in the 100 freestyle gave him $125,000.