分类： sports

The controversial inaugural Enhanced Games, a competition that unapologetically permits the use of performance-enhancing drugs for all participating athletes, got off to a surprising start in its opening swimming event on Monday in Las Vegas, where one of the sport’s most recognizable former champions failed to deliver on the high expectations he helped build. Australian swimmer James Magnussen, nicknamed “The Missile” and the first athlete to sign on to the privately backed competition, crossed the finish line in last place in the men’s 100m freestyle, finishing more than two seconds slower than his decade-old personal best.

The 35-year-old, who made headlines ahead of the event with a bold claim that he would “juice to the gills” and break a world record within six months of joining the Games, clocked a final time of 49.44 seconds. That result put him well behind the three other competitors in the field, with Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev taking first place with a time of 46.6 seconds. Gkolomeev’s finish came just 0.2 seconds off the current world record of 46.4 seconds set by Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle at the 2024 Paris Olympics earlier this year. Completing the field were American swimmer Hunter Armstrong and Irish swimmer Shane Ryan, both of whom finished comfortably ahead of Magnussen.

Magnussen’s slow final time was 2.34 seconds off his personal best of 47.10 seconds, which he set at the Australian Olympic selection trials back in 2012, when he was at the peak of his competitive career. Competing in an eye-catching gold swimsuit that marked his status as the face of the new event, Magnussen never mounted a serious challenge to the rest of the field throughout the race.

Despite his underwhelming last-place finish, the former world champion still walked away with a $70,000 payout for just competing in the event, a sum that is nearly double what Australian Olympic gold medalists receive for winning a top prize at the traditional Games. The Enhanced Games offers outsized financial incentives to draw competitors: total prize money across all events sits at millions of dollars, with a $1.4 million reward on offer specifically for any athlete who breaks the 50m freestyle world record. Total prize money for all winners across the inaugural event is set at roughly $350,000, a payout structure that far outpaces traditional elite swimming competition for many lower-ranked finishers.

Backed by deep-pocketed supporters including private equity firms, tech billionaires, and entrepreneurial investment funds, the Enhanced Games has drawn widespread global scrutiny for its rule that allows unlimited use of performance-enhancing substances, a direct rejection of decades of anti-doping policies that govern the Olympic Games and all other mainstream international sports. For Magnussen, the competition is not over yet: he is still scheduled to compete in the 50m freestyle later in the event, where he retains a chance to claim the massive $1.4 million world record breaking prize.

The inaugural edition of the controversial Enhanced Games, an event that openly permits athletes to use performance-enhancing substances banned from traditional elite competitions like the Olympics, kicked off Sunday in Las Vegas. Despite the allowances for banned drugs and technologically advanced swimsuits, participating athletes narrowly missed out on breaking existing official world records in early competition, leaving organizers and competitors just short of their high-stakes goal.

A total of 42 athletes across sprinting, swimming and weightlifting took part in the event, with the vast majority using stacks of testosterone, peptides, anabolic steroids and other substances blacklisted by global athletics governing bodies. These governing bodies have already roundly condemned the competition as dangerously reckless, and have confirmed they will never recognize any records set at the Enhanced Games.

Lured by lucrative prize purses — $1 million for any athlete who breaks an existing world record, and $250,000 for individual event gold — the field includes several former Olympic medalists, such as retired elite swimmers James Magnussen, Cody Miller and Ben Proud. In the most closely watched early swimming contest, the men’s 100-meter freestyle, Greek competitor Kristian Gkolomeev posted a time of 46.60 seconds, just 0.2 seconds behind Pan Zhanle’s current official world record of 46.40 seconds.

“It was very close to the world record. I really wanted to do it, but it’s OK,” Gkolomeev told reporters after the race. “I felt at the end I died a little bit, but I didn’t really train for the 100 this year, definitely I will take that.”

On the women’s side of the same event, Britain’s Emily Barclays took gold with a time of 24.09 seconds, approximately half a second off the standing world mark.

Enhanced Games co-founder Max Martin had predicted ahead of the competition that “quite a few” world records would fall unofficially, but the first half of the event did not live up to that projection. In the opening weightlifting contest, Beatriz Piron — who had reportedly surpassed the women’s snatch world record in training — attempted 100kg but came up short of the mark. For the men, Canada’s Boady Santavy and American Wesley Kitts attempted 183kg and 197kg respectively, and both failed, even after organizers broke standard rules to grant each an extra fourth attempt to hit the record.

“I hit a lot of PRs in training. Not 197 yet… Man, if I had about four more weeks (in training) I’d say I’d have had a good shot at it,” Kitts said after his attempt.

In a surprising upset, the men’s 50-meter backstroke was won by Hunter Armstrong, one of the small minority of competitors who chose not to use any performance-enhancing drugs, who beat two rivals who did use PEDs with a time of 24.21 seconds. American former Olympian Cody Miller, who won the men’s 50-meter breaststroke, said he was thrilled to cut seven-tenths of a second off his own personal best at age 34, though his 26.55 second time remained well off Adam Peaty’s 25.95 second world record.

Unlike traditional elite swimming competitions, the Enhanced Games permits competitors to wear the same full-body “supersuits” that caused a wave of record-breaking at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before being banned by global swimming governing bodies over concerns about unfair technological advantage.

Former 100-meter sprint world champion Fred Kerley, another clean competitor at the event, topped the men’s sprint heats with a 9.93 second run, just two-hundredths of a second ahead of “enhanced” athlete Emmanuel Matadi, who clocked 9.95 seconds.

The 2024 Enhanced Games is being held in a custom-built $50 million temporary arena constructed on the parking lot of a Las Vegas casino, which will be dismantled just hours after the final event wraps up. Blending elite sports, biohacking advocacy, political positioning and entertainment, the event counts high-profile backers including billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr., with iconic Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers scheduled to play the closing set after competition ends.

The competition has sparked widespread criticism from global health experts, who warn that the unregulated use of the performance-enhancing substances permitted at the Games carries major risks of “life-shortening and fatal consequences,” including permanent damage to the heart, liver and kidneys, since little definitive research exists on the long-term impacts of many of these drug combinations.

Enhanced Games officials have pushed back against these concerns, noting that all substances used by athletes are formally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and that the event spared no expense to hire top-tier medical staff to monitor competitors. Chief medical officer Guido Pieles acknowledged that the health risks of the substances “clearly there” but argued they are “really manageable” with proper oversight.

Organizers have emphasized a commitment to transparency, publishing the overall percentage of athletes taking each category of performance-enhancing drug, with Martin saying “transparency is core to our DNA.” However, athletes confirmed that they are not required to publicly disclose the exact specific drug combinations each competitor is taking. Beyond the event itself, the parent company Enhanced sells many of the same substances used by its athletes directly to the general public.

The Sydney Roosters have already mapped out their contingency plan at the fullback position, with versatile utility back Cody Ramsey ready to step into the starting role if captain James Tedesco is rested for this weekend’s NRL clash against the Melbourne Storm. Tedesco is set to make his emotional return to the State of Origin arena on Wednesday night, suiting up for the New South Wales Blues in his first Origin appearance since the 2024 tournament opener. It remains uncertain whether the veteran fullback will travel straight to Melbourne after the representative fixture to compete in Saturday’s high-stakes round match, leaving coach Trent Robinson with a difficult selection call to make.

Robinson already faces a series of selection headaches ahead of the game. Key spine players Sam Walker and Reece Robson will also feature in Wednesday’s State of Origin clash, adding to questions around their availability for the club fixture. To compound the coach’s challenges, the Roosters are currently dealing with a backline injury crisis, with starting wingers Daniel Tupou and Mark Nawaqanitawase both sidelined with injuries.

For Ramsey, a potential call-up to fullback would cap one of the most inspiring comeback stories of the 2024 NRL season. The outside back made his long-awaited return to the top flight earlier this month after a gruelling, life-disrupting battle with ulcerative colitis that kept him sidelined for months. Since his comeback, Ramsey has featured in three first-grade games on the wing, but he has extensive experience in the fullback position: he has already played 14 NRL fullback games for his former club St George Illawarra Dragons, and spent the entire 2023 NSW Cup season wearing the number 1 jersey for the Dragons’ feeder side.

“I played the whole of last year’s Cup at fullback, and I trained full-time in the position all pre-season,” Ramsey told NewsWire in a recent interview. “It’s genuinely my natural position. I’ve spent a lot of time on the wing in the NRL too, so I’m happy to cover any spot the team needs. I’m more than comfortable sliding into fullback if that’s what the coach requires for the weekend.”

Ramsey noted he has not yet discussed a potential positional switch with Robinson, after the Roosters enjoyed a bye in round 12 and opened match week with a light training session on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Monday. Even if he does not connect with Tedesco directly after Wednesday’s Origin fixture, Ramsey says he has already learned plenty from the Roosters captain during the pair’s off-season training together over summer.

“I love how Tedesco reads defensive movements as a fullback, and how he approaches different areas of the field,” Ramsey said. “I’ve learned so much about the role from him – especially how to better read developing play, because he’s probably the best in the competition at that skill. All the little tips he’s given me have been incredibly helpful. My biggest strength as a fullback is my ability to run off the back of attacking shapes, and that’s something I’ve always felt confident in. I’ve also improved my passing game drastically since I last held a fullback spot in the NRL. I wasn’t known for my passing before my time out, but over the past year in the Cup I’ve worked really hard to refine that part of my game, especially as a fullback.”

Roosters veteran forward Nat Butcher has thrown his full support behind Ramsey, saying the entire squad is confident he can capably fill Tedesco’s shoes if called upon. “He’s definitely ready for the opportunity,” Butcher said. “All of the boys know how good he is in training. He did the entire pre-season with us, and spent a lot of that time playing against our starting 17 in our training drills. He was a constant headache for our defence every session – we always had to be at our absolute best to contain him, because he’s such a quality player that you can never take him lightly. If he does get the chance to wear the number 1 this weekend, we all have full confidence in him. He’ll do a great job filling Ted’s spot.”

If Ramsey does shift to fullback, the Roosters could recall Billy Smith to fill the vacant wing spot, though both Smith and Tommy Talau are currently listed in the NRL’s official casualty ward, leaving their own availability in question.

As the Queensland Maroons prepare for the opening clash of the 2026 State of Origin series in Sydney this Wednesday, veteran captain and five-eighth Cameron Munster has moved quickly to ease growing injury concerns after his no-show at Sunday’s mandatory field training session. The 31-year-old Maroons legend addressed the media on Monday, injecting a dose of humor into the speculation surrounding his absence before clarifying that the decision to sit out was a pre-planned management call, not a sign of a serious underlying injury.

Joking that he had left his walking frame at home on the advice of the team’s media manager, Munster brushed off playful teasing from his teammates and explained that the rest day was tailored to his changing needs as an older athlete. “I’m just not used to doing back-to-back days anymore. When you get to this point in your career, you understand your body better than anyone,” he told reporters. “I had a bit of general tightness lingering, and we all agreed that going out to train would have left me sore today. Taking the day off was just the smart call to make sure I’m right for Wednesday.”

Speculation around Munster’s status ran high after his absence, with some suggesting the scratch from the session was either a hidden injury or a deliberate mind games tactic against their upcoming opponents. But Munster categorically denied both theories, noting that the combination of a packed fan day and heavy media schedule on Sunday also made an extra rest day more practical. “If it was up to me, I would have been out there training,” he said. “I pushed the physios and coaches to let me participate, but they reminded me that the captain’s run on Tuesday is more important for getting my body ready for game night. I’d rather skip one session now than be sore and limited when we run out onto the field.”

The stakes for Munster’s fitness are higher than ever for this series. Queensland has already lost incumbent halfback Tom Dearden to injury, and former veteran playmaker Daly Cherry-Evans is no longer part of the squad. That leaves Munster tasked with leading the team and partnering rookie playmaker Sam Walker in the halves, making his experience and form critical to the Maroons’ opening game chances.

The experienced playmaker has endured a slow start to his 2026 NRL club season with the Melbourne Storm, with his performance stats well down on his usual career standards. But he has turned a corner in recent weeks, notching three tries and three try assists across his past two outings, including a dominant Magic Round win over the Parramatta Eels that signaled his return to form. Munster attributed his recent turnaround to a shift in approach, leaning into a more attacking style of play that aligns with the current direction of rugby league.

“Early in the season, I wasn’t playing anywhere near the standard I set for myself over the years,” he admitted. “I changed things up the past couple of weeks, deciding I wanted to play more attacking rugby instead of just sticking to safe, high-percentage plays, and that’s made all the difference.” The shift comes as the sport has moved toward higher-scoring contests under new officiating frameworks, a change Munster was initially critical of. He revealed just a few weeks ago he had stopped watching much rugby league because he felt the new style strayed from the sport’s traditional identity, but he has since adjusted his approach to stay competitive.

“How the game will be officiated for Origin is still a bit of a mystery,” Munster said. “We can’t waste energy worrying about what the referees will or won’t call. All we can do is stay disciplined across every part of the game, no matter how they call six-agains or any other decision. You can’t stand around complaining about it — you just have to adapt or you’ll get left behind.”

With high-scoring games becoming the norm across the NRL in 2026, Munster said the Maroons are well positioned to thrive in the current attacking landscape, pointing to the combination of Kalyn Ponga and rookie partner Sam Walker as perfectly suited to the open style of play expected on Wednesday night. Ezra Mam has been named as standby replacement if Munster is ultimately ruled out, but the captain’s confident assessment on Monday has all but confirmed he will take his place in the starting line-up for the series opener.

Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) has been thrown into unexpected upheaval just 24 hours before the opening match of its flagship State of Origin series, following breaking news that chief executive Andrew Abdo has stepped down abruptly to accept a senior leadership role at Tennis Australia.

The bombshell development comes at a critical juncture for the NRL, as the governing body prepares to enter high-stakes negotiations for its next round of broadcast rights – the current media agreement is set to expire at the conclusion of the 2027 season, making a stable leadership transition a top priority for the commission.

While the NRL has not issued an official confirmation of Abdo’s departure as of the latest update, multiple credible media reports have confirmed the resignation. Abdo took over the top executive role from predecessor Todd Greenberg in 2020, initially stepping in as interim CEO before earning a permanent appointment that September. His tenure will be remembered for steering the organisation through the unprecedented disruption of the global COVID-19 pandemic, a period that tested the resilience of every major professional sport.

Per emerging reporting, Abdo is set to replace Craig Tiley, who has served as chief executive of Tennis Australia for nearly 15 years. In the wake of his departure, NRL Commission chair Peter V’landys is widely expected to step into the role of interim CEO while the organisation launches a search for a permanent successor. Speculation over the permanent role has already begun, with V’landys tipped as a potential candidate to take on a permanent executive chairman position, while South Sydney Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly has also been named as an early contender. NRL officials have indicated they will not rush the appointment process, prioritising finding the right candidate to build on Abdo’s work.

During his four-year tenure, Abdo led the NRL to a series of landmark achievements, including delivering record-breaking annual revenue for the governing body. He also oversaw bold expansion efforts that pushed the code into new markets, headlined by the groundbreaking 2024 season opener held in Las Vegas to grow the sport’s international profile, as well as plans for new professional teams based in Perth, Western Australia, and Papua New Guinea. This story remains developing, with further updates expected from the NRL in the coming hours.

The 2026 Roland Garros kicked off its main draw on Sunday with a dramatic opening night headlined by 39-year-old Novak Djokovic, who fought through a massive test to keep his historic chase of a 25th Grand Slam title alive, while Alexander Zverev cruised to a comfortable straight-set win amid a rash of early upsets for seeded and former champions.

Djokovic entered this year’s Paris tournament with a golden opportunity to etch his name deeper into tennis history: a fourth Coupe des Mousquetaires title would cement him as the outright leader for the most major men’s singles titles in the sport, and top-ranked two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz’s injury withdrawal cleared a major path to the crown. It had been two and a half years since the Serb lifted his last Grand Slam trophy at the 2023 US Open, and a shoulder injury had sidelined him for almost the entire 2026 clay court swing heading into Paris, making his opening match even more high-stakes.

Facing 2.01-meter French big server Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic found his historic dream on the brink of an early end. Buoyed by a raucous home crowd, Mpetshi Perricard took the opening set 7-5, and his precise, blistering serve left Djokovic with almost no return opportunities in the early going. But drawing on decades of Grand Slam experience, Djokovic dug in, eventually broke through the Frenchman’s serve resistance, and rallied to seal a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 victory after just under three hours on court. The win marked Djokovic’s first clay court victory of 2026 and stretched his record to 82 career Grand Slam main draw appearances.

“It was very challenging, obviously mentally,” Djokovic told reporters after the match. “First set, zero chance on him serving. It’s one of the most tremendous serves in terms of precision and speed that I have ever faced in my career. Obviously, the crowd gets into it and you feel the pressure even more. All in all, it was a good match to be part of. Three hours, just what the doctor ordered at age 39.” Djokovic will advance to face another French player, Valentin Royer, in the second round, after Royer defeated Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien.

Earlier in the day, played out under scorching 30-plus degree Celsius heat, German second seed Alexander Zverev earned a far more straightforward opening win, beating France’s Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The only small hiccup in Zverev’s polished performance came when he dropped a break of serve in the second set, but he quickly reclaimed control to close out the straight-sets win. “It was always nice to start with a straight-sets win,” Zverev said, with the high temperatures making the shorter match a welcome result. He will next face Czech player Tomas Machac, who defeated Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in straight sets to advance.

Other early winners on opening day included Russia’s Karen Khachanov, 26th seed Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, 19-year-old Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca, 11th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, and Russian eighth seed teen Mirra Andreeva, all of whom claimed straight-set opening round wins.

The day was not short of upsets, however. American seventh seed Taylor Fritz was ousted in four sets by unseeded compatriot Nishesh Basavareddy, ranked 148th in the world, marking another early Roland Garros exit for the top seed. 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova was also eliminated, falling to American 26th seed Hailey Baptiste in three sets. Former Grand Slam champions Emma Raducanu and Sofia Kenin also bowed out in the opening round.

In the day’s most poignant story, Ukrainian 15th seed Marta Kostyuk extended her clay court winning streak to 12 matches with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over Oksana Selekhmeteva, but revealed after the match that her parents’ home in Kyiv had narrowly escaped destruction that morning, when a Russian missile landed just 100 meters from the property during a large-scale bombardment of the Ukrainian capital. “This morning, 100 metres from my parents’ house, a missile fell,” Kostyuk said. “All my thoughts and all my heart was to the people of Ukraine today. My biggest example are Ukrainian people today.”

In a tense Australian Football League clash at the packed Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, West Coast Eagles’ young breakout defender Josh Lindsay has framed a narrow 10-point loss to Collingwood as a critical stepping stone for his young team’s long-term development, arguing that every hard-fought outing is building the foundation for future success.

The match marked a major milestone for Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury, and the Magpies looked set to deliver a blowout celebration early in the third quarter when they stretched their lead out to 29 points, seemingly on track to secure a comfortable win. But West Coast refused to fold, mounting a steady comeback that pulled the Eagles within three points late in the fourth quarter thanks to a major score from Jobe Shanahan. Collingwood’s Dan McStay and Nick Daicos ultimately slammed the door on the comeback, kicking late decisive goals to secure the 10-point win and preserve Pendlebury’s milestone celebration.

Despite leaving the MCG without four points, Lindsay, who earned an AFL Rising Star nomination earlier this season, said the four-quarter competitive showing proved how far the rebuilding Eagles have come week-to-week. “We’re probably a bit stiff not to get the result there, but I think our footy is building every week. We’re only getting better from here,” the 10-game veteran explained. “I think it’s just getting more games and experience. The more footy you play, you learn. If you can continue on playing footy, I’ve played 10 games so far and I’ve learned so much. Playing footy together is how I think we’re going to really build.”

The left-footed half-back has quickly emerged as one of West Coast’s most reliable ball handlers and elite kickers in his short senior career, a skill he attributes to a mix of natural instinct and intentional off-hours practice. “I think some of it comes natural but I work super hard on it,” Lindsay said. “Whether that’s before or after training, the more reps I can do the better I am going to get. I definitely say it’s hard work.”

While speculation could eventually see the young talent pushed further up the ground into the midfield, Lindsay said he is perfectly content honing his craft in his current half-back role alongside experienced leaders Liam Duggan and Liam Baker for now. “I love my role across half back, the boys give me such good confidence,” he said. “Whether down the track I do venture into the midfield, time will tell, but I am loving down back at the moment.”

The final day of the World Surf League (WSL) New Zealand Pro competition faced an unexpected and frightening suspension on Monday, after a marine animal attacked a photographer working in the waters off Raglan, on New Zealand’s North Island. Organizers have yet to confirm whether the aggressor was a shark or a sea lion, but the incident sent shockwaves through the event and forced an immediate pause to the men’s semi-final round. At the time of the attack, elite Brazilian surfers Yago Dora and Italo Ferreira were mid-competition, and both competitors witnessed the sudden incident unfold. WSL officials immediately activated a “code red” emergency protocol, halting all on-water activity while rapid-response medical teams rushed to the scene to assist the injured photographer. The victim has been identified as Ed Sloane, an Australian water photographer who has become a familiar figure on the WSL circuit. Renato Hickel, WSL Vice President of Tours and Competition, confirmed in an interview during the league’s live broadcast that Sloane suffered small puncture wounds from the attack, and was immediately transported to a local hospital via ambulance for further treatment. “We activate code red whenever there is a marine life attack on a competitor or event staff, and this time it was our beloved water photographer,” Hickel told broadcast viewers. “Thank God he is in good spirits, he is doing as well as can be expected after what happened.” Hickel added that while investigators have not formally confirmed the animal’s identity, the on-scene treating doctor leaned toward the conclusion that the attack came from a sea lion rather than a shark. He also noted that the two competing surfers, who saw the splash and the attack unfold from the water, were left deeply shaken by the incident, which reinforced organizers’ decision to pause the event immediately. After the attack, Sloane released a brief statement through WSL to share his condition and thank response teams for their quick action. “I am doing okay, I’ve had bites to my left foot and am getting medical attention,” Sloane said. “I love this place and can’t wait to watch an epic Finals Day. Cheering for everyone for a great finish to the event.” After a several-hour pause to assess safety and deploy additional protective measures, WSL organizers resumed the competition. New safety protocols added for the remainder of the event include extra jet skis positioned for rapid response, and a dedicated drone spotter to continuously monitor the water for any potential marine threats. As of the conclusion of the event’s restart, the exact species of the attacking creature remains unconfirmed. The WSL holds its annual competitive season between April and December each year, traveling to iconic surf destinations across the globe to crown its annual champions.