‘I’ll Juice to the Gills’: Aussie Olympian James Magnussen to Vie for $1.5 Million at Enhanced Games
Two-time Australian Olympian James Magnussen is going to be swimming in cash after he officially agreed to be the first known athlete to partake in the steroid-fueled Enhanced Games. The 32-year-old will come out of retirement and compete for a USD$1 million (AU$1.54 million) cash prize – on the condition he breaks the 50-metre freestyle world record. Bread and circus, anyone?
The Enhanced Games was founded by Australian-born, London-based businessman Aron D’Souza, where he plans to allow athletes to take performance-enhanced drugs without those pesky authorities breathing down their neck. Talking today with SEN Radio’s Breakfast with Vossy and Brandy, D’Souza began his marketing campaign, making the bold claim that current athletes aren’t getting paid what they are worth and half of Australian Olympians “live in poverty”.
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“People like James (Magnussen) deserve to earn millions for the extraordinary feats they have accomplished and we are willing to do so,” said D’Souza. “We are very happy to put $1 million with escrow.com to guarantee for James that when he comes to compete at the first Enhanced Games – that if he breaks the 50 freestyle world record, that $1 million is for him.”
Speaking on the same radio program, Magnussen says he’s remained fit post-retirement and would gladly “take the offer” – but also throw in something extra for our content-obsessed world.
“I want to go to America, I want to get the right advice, I want to take the right supplements,” said Magnussen. “I don’t know much about that world so I want to do my research. I want to have the right team around me and with the help of Aron I’d to document it through video form. Show how it can be done safely and properly and create an athlete we haven’t seen before.”
Having retired in 2019, Magnussen was one of the fastest swimmers of all time at his peak. His achievements include winning gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016, as well as claiming dual 100m freestyle world championship titles in 2011 and 2013. interestingly, ee doesn’t believe this new endeavour would tarnish his legacy.
“I think it actually does the opposite,” Magnussen told SEN Radio. “I’ll be able to show a before-and-after which should essentially show this is a natural athlete and this is an enhanced athlete and hopefully the differences will be there to see. There is no question over my career as an Olympic athlete. This would be a new point in time and say hey let’s test this thing out and see where human performance can go.”
Speaking on the Hello Sport podcast, Magnussen sounded confident he could break the record at the “junky” games. Magnussen’s personal best in the 50m freestyle is 21.52, set back in 2013, while the world record is 20.91, set by Brazilian Cesar Cielo in 2009.
“I’ll juice to the gills and I’ll break it within six months,” he said. “I’m going to need one of those super suits to float me, because if I get unbelievably jacked, then I’ll sink.”
“When I was swimming, I was about 21.5, so I need half a second,” Magnussen added. “So juice and a suit, happy days.”
According to the New York Post, renowned Silicon Valley figure and PayPal co-founder, Peter Thiel stands at the forefront of a diverse group of influential individuals backing the groundbreaking initiative. This venture, aimed at advancing research in nutritional supplements and cutting-edge biohacking techniques, strives to redefine the limits of human potential.
Scheduled to unveil further insights on April 17 and garner support for the controversial concept amidst the Paris Summer Olympics in July, spokesperson D’Souza outlines an initial focus on swimming, athletics, combat events, gymnastics, and weightlifting within the Enhanced Games framework.
While specifics regarding athlete compensation remain undisclosed, organisers assure that lucrative opportunities await should the initiative materialise. Negotiations with potential host cities possessing the necessary infrastructure are also underway, with the inaugural competition anticipated to kick off by the middle of next year.
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