Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy, known for his achievements in the 50m freestyle, was not part of the 2026 Enhanced Games held in Las Vegas on May 24. However, he made his voice heard after watching a video of Canadian strongman Mitchell Hooper attempting a 50m freestyle swim during the event.
Hooper, who weighs over 300lbs, completed the 50m freestyle in approximately 34 seconds in a short clip shared on his Instagram account. The 30-year-old and his timekeeper claimed it as a world record in the “big man” category, which prompted McEvoy to respond with a challenge directed at his Australian Olympic teammate, Matthew Denny.
McEvoy, 32, posted on social media: “@mattdenny it’s time,” tagging Denny, a 29-year-old discus thrower who won a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He seemed to be encouraging Denny to participate in the Enhanced Games in a similar way to how Hooper did, despite the fact that field events like discus are not yet part of the program.
Unlike McEvoy, Hooper officially competed in the Enhanced Games using their controversial protocol. In the men’s deadlift event, he was one of two competitors aiming to break the 510kg world record. Hooper faced off against Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, the world record holder from Iceland, for a $1 million bonus prize.
Both strongmen attempted to lift 515kg, but neither succeeded. Hooper managed to deadlift 440kg, finishing behind Bjornsson, who cleared 475kg and earned $125,000 for his effort.
Cameron McEvoy criticized the Enhanced Games and its swim athletes
McEvoy was clearly upset about his men’s 50m freestyle world record being broken at the 2026 Enhanced Games. The Australian, who won Olympic gold in the same event at Paris 2024, publicly criticized the Enhanced Games and the athletes competing in it.
He stated, according to a post from Swim Updates on X: “Performance-enhancing d**** and crazy suits—that’s basically as far removed from what swimming is about. There’s no skill in that, and it’s not exciting at all. It goes against everything that normal sport is supposed to be.”
Greek athlete Kristian Gkolomeev set a new world record in the 100m free with a time of 20.81 seconds, surpassing McEvoy by 0.07 seconds. Although this time will not be recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to the use of an illegal enhanced protocol, Gkolomeev received a $1 million bonus for his achievement.
McEvoy’s immediate reaction to the world record was a meme shared on Instagram story. The meme featured a picture of famous chef Gordon Ramsay yelling at his TV show contestant with the phrase, “Seriously? That’s All You Got!”
What are your thoughts on this?
Read more at Daily Swimmers Club!
Trending slideshow: Cameron McEvoy on Top, But He’s Not Alone in Sub-22 50m Free Club
