Another male European sprinter has joined the Enhanced Games.
Marius Kusch, a German butterfly specialist who competed at the Tokyo Olympics and has one World Championship medal and three European medals on his resume, announced he was joining the Games on Wednesday.
View this post on Instagram
Kusch last competed at the 2024 Short Course World Championships this past December in Budapest, where he was a finalist in the men’s 50 fly, setting a personal best of 21.99 in the semis before taking 8th in the final, and he also took 16th in the 50 back (23.28) and 20th in the 50 free (21.35).
Having previously trained under David Marsh with Team Elite in San Diego, Kusch made the move to Indiana in late 2022 for the lead-up to the Paris Olympics, though he ultimately didn’t qualify.
Kusch has most recently been training at Queens (NC), his alma mater, under associate head coach Elliot Ptasnik. Kusch also launched an online swimming community in February 2024 and has been consistently posting technique-focused videos on his Instagram page over the last 18 months.
In their announcement on Wednesday, the Enhanced Games said Kusch will be racing the 50 and 100 fly at the Games next May in Las Vegas.
He currently owns long course best times of 23.38 in the 50 fly and 51.35 in the 100 fly, with the world records currently sitting at 22.27 and 49.45, respectively.
View this post on Instagram
Kusch broke onto the senior international stage at the 2015 European SC Championships and has represented Germany numerous times over the last decade. His first major medal came at the 2017 European SC Championships, winning bronze in the men’s 100 fly, and then the following year, he won his lone European LC medal with a bronze on the German 4×100 medley relay in Glasgow.
In 2019, Kusch won the European SC title in the men’s 100 fly, clocking a time of 49.06 in the final which still stands as the German Record.
He then made his Olympic debut for Germany in 2021, placing 23rd in the men’s 100 fly (52.05) while also contributing to the German men’s 4×100 free and 4×100 medley relays that placed 16th and 11th, respectively.
In 2022, Kusch won his first career World Championship medal by earning bronze in the men’s 100 fly final at the SC Worlds in Melbourne, narrowly missing his National Record in 49.12.
He also had a successful collegiate career at Queens University of Charlotte, winning eight individual NCAA Division II titles in the men’s 100 free (2017, 2018, 2019), 200 free (2018), 100 back (2019) 100 fly (2019), 200 fly (2018) and 200 IM (2017) while leading the Royals to three straight national titles.
Kusch joins a growing list of accomplished swimmers who have joined the Games, joining male sprinters Ben Proud, Kristian Gkolomeev, James Magnussen, Andrii Govorov and Josif Miladinov, while American Megan Romano became the first female to join the organization in early August.
The controversial organization is hosting its inaugural event next May in Las Vegas with $1 million on the line for breaking the world record in the 50 free or the 100-meter dash, while world records in other events, including the 50 and 100 fly for Kusch, will pay $250,000.
There seems to be a common theme of swimmers doing it to set themselves and their families up, it’s all about the money.
Yes i hate the idea of EG but i don’t put the blame on the athletes joining it, the blame should lay at the feet of those who’ve refused to pay our swimmers what they are worth.
I commented on a previous article, all you have to do is look up how much world aquatics is worth (quarter of a billion in assets) and how much money a lot of these federations have (USA Swimming +$50mill, Swim England +$25mill). They have been holding on their athletes for years while paying directors, ceos, coaches, etc, big money.… Read more »
I think part of the problem with swimming and paying athletes is how big “the squad” is because of the number of events.
About 140 swimmers earned medals at the World Championships. Let’s say we wanted to match the rumored EGs offer of $250,000 per athlete. That would be $35 million per year without even hitting the 4th and 5th place finishers in the 1500.
There is a small handful of swimmers doing the heavy lift globally for all of them. The David Popovicis of the world, who do the consistent media tour, make all the appearances, post on their social, say interesting things.
$35 million per year straight out of the federations coffers isn’t sustainable. I hear it over… Read more »
Diogo Ribeiro will join as well
What? Where is that information from?
He won’t
Who
there is no USA Aquatics no Australia Aquatics surely the first step is for World Aquatics to become World Swimming & let diving, water polo & artistic go. With the exception of ISL swimming hasn’t adapted to the modern sporting landscape & outside of 9 days every 4 years has long been left behind. 25 years since the 2000 olympics nothing in swimming has changed but look at the rise in that time of MMA (UFC), Pickleball, Hyrox, E-Sports, 3×3 basketball, ultra running. desperate times call for desperate measures.
There is actually a United States Aquatic Sports umbrella organization: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/usas/page/home
who’s the ceo?
I don’t know if they have one. Led by a governing board.
https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/usas/page/about-usas/governance
“With the exception of ISL” wait so Kurt got paid and the athletes didn’t??? That’s wild. I always thought Grigorishin made a big deal of how important the athletes are, but they’re still the last money out the door on the way to Chernobyl.
poured everything i had into ISL – upper management aside for anyone that attended a meet the format & entertainment value was unmatched. i still believe it’s the best swimming event I’ve ever worked on & outside of US trials I’ve worked on all of them. if you let me know the address of your parents basement i can come pay you a visit & tell you all about.
Here’s waht the German Swimming Federation has to say about it:
The Enhanced Games are diametrically opposed to everything sport stands for. They mock fairness, health, and the very raison d’être of sport by not only tolerating doping but by presenting it as an option, supposedly to be taken autonomously, for self-optimization. The German Swimming Federation condemns this in the strongest possible terms.
For us, fairness, equal opportunities, and the unequivocal rejection of any form of doping are unshakable fundamental values. Athletes—whether active or retired—have a special function as role models.
Anyone who consciously abandons these values is saying goodbye to our sport of swimming. And: They are exposing themselves to serious health risks that can never… Read more »
Bravo 👏👏👏 for him. Swimming on the international level and the national are ruled by autocrats who are out of touch with reality. Except for a few swimmers like a a Ledecky, the majority of Olympic and world record holders can not 🚫🚫🚫 make a living from swimming period. Yet the CEO of US Swimming is making 500j plus??? The head of Swimming international is run by a Kuwaiti who probably can’t swim a 50 meter pool. The recent world Championships were held in a pool hall with less than 5k capacity. It’s a joke 🤣🤣🤣 the Enhanced Games are not 🚫🚫🚫 the answer. But it’s a start to get prize money 💰💰💰 to swimmer’s on a world 🌍🌍🌍 wide… Read more »
Aren’t the autocrats running the enhanced games as well?
Honest question here, is EPO a thing in swimming? All I can see is people talking about roids
It’s not the most common substance that people test positive for. Elevated EPO is what Brinegar tested positive for, though: https://swimswam.com/michael-brinegar-receives-4-year-doping-suspension-causing-1500-free-scratch-at-trials/
It’d be useful in long distance swimming, I suppose. But I doubt EG will have an open water competition 🙂
I am saying now. These guys arent going to get paid. It happened with the ISL, then with the GST. Its the third time someone comes and sells the idea of “revolutionazing the sport”. It just doesnt work like that. GST was a failure because the audience is niche and will always be. There is no casual “swimming spectator”. Most people only watch swimming or athetics in the olympics every 4 years. There is no league, no weekly competitions, no teams to follow. Swimming is not marketable. Not everything has to be marketable.
I think the model here is different, because EG seems to have an actual product (their PED cocktail). These “athletes” are essentially brand ambassadors and get paid as such… and the actual “Games” are just a publicity event.
The ISL tried to sell swimming on its own. And that didn’t work. Because the way swimming as a sport is set up, it’s just boring for the general (non-swimming) public in the long run.
Peter Thiel is worth $25B. They’re getting paid.
Until he decides not to pay. He’s a grifter. Just wait.