Ariarne Titmus targeted for controversial post-Olympics move with $1.5 million reward on offer
The much-maligned 'Enhanced Games' wants the Aussie star to join James Magnussen at the 2025 event.
Enhanced Games recruiters have identified Australia's swimming golden girl Ariarne Titmus as well as USA sprint star Noah Lyles and marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge as potential participants for the 2025 event. Australia’s former Olympic freestyle king James Magnussen is the poster boy of the controversial event thus far, but in an attempt to bring more eyeballs to the first-of-its-kind Games, founder Aron D’Souza has been scouring the Paris Olympics for potential competitors.
Magnussen has been heavily criticised for declaring he will "juice to the gills" for six months in a bid to break the 50m freestyle swimming world record at the Enhanced Games. And while steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs are not just allowed but encouraged by organisers, D'Souza has now turned his attention to the likes of Titmus to compete clean but with the same goal of breaking the world record at the event to win a US$1 million ($1.54 million) prize.
Titmus cemented her status as one of the swimming greats by adding four medals to her already impressive collection at the 2024 Paris Games - two gold and two silver. But the Aussie swimmer admitted after her final event that she is both physically and emotionally drained and in need of some time off.
And the 23-year-old reveelad on Tuesday that she's planning to take an extended break from the pool. “I’m definitely having a very extended break,” she said. “I haven’t planned when I’m going back to swimming. I want to go back when I feel ready to go back. Could be up to 12 months.”
“I just want to make sure I’m ready to go in LA. I don’t want to come back too early and, you know, lose that fire, I guess,” she said. “I think four years is a long time, so I want to prepare myself the best for those Olympic Games. For me, that’s the priority, not world championships in the years prior. So I just want to really have time to let the hunger build back up and enjoy myself for a little while.”
But that hasn't stopped D'Souza from pursuing the star swimmer for next year's inaugural Enhanced Games and the founder said she can "absolutely" compete clean in an attempt to break the world record. “All athletes are welcome, natural or enhanced … I believe it would make for great television," D'Souza told News Corp. “We want to create an opportunity for athletes to really monetise their ability and it would be attractive for any of the top competitors at the Paris Games — a $1 million prize for breaking a world record.”
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Aron D'Souza searches for Enhanced Games competitors
D’Souza revealed the Enhanced Games is ramping up its recruitment efforts and as well as Titmus, have identified American track star Lyles and marathon legend Kipchoge, who turns 40 in November, as ideal competitors. D'Souza says as well as allowing athletes to compete without doping regulation, he believes the Enhanced Games can allow other athletes to explore various performance-enhancing strategies.
This is partially why Kipchoge has been identified as an ideal competitor. The Kenyan runner is the only man in history to run a sub-2 hour marathon after clocking 1:59.40 as part of the Ineos Challenge in 2019. And with age becoming an obstacle for the marathon legend, D'Souza believes the Enhanced Games can provide a new platform for him to compete. “I’d love to see Kipchoge take part,” he said.
“I have a recruiting team in Paris right now. And the athletes are highly receptive to this because, ultimately, it’s about money and fame, right? It’s great being at the Paris Olympics, but for many athletes, there’s going to be nothing for the next four years, so the Enhanced Games is another avenue for them.
“The marathon is a discipline that I think has huge potential to it. The reality is that marathon is a much more participated sport as compared with the sprint distance and the track disciplines. Millions of people compete in marathons all over the world each year and there’s no shortage of people who are within a couple of minutes of a two-hour marathon. The marathon is compelling. We’d love to see someone like Kipchoge go under two hours in an Enhanced race.”
