Olympic gold medalist Hunter Armstrong left the inaugural Enhanced Games with $375,000 in prize money after two podium finishes.
Competing clean, non-enhanced athlete, Armstrong won the men’s 50 backstroke in 24.21 racing in a polyurethane “super suit.” That swim earned him $250,000, though it was about half a second off his American record of 23.71. He returned in the 100 freestyle, finishing 2nd in 48.0 behind Kristian Gkolomeev, who won in 46.6. Armstrong’s lifetime best is 47.59. He added another $125,000, bringing his total Enhanced Games payday to $375,000.
In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, Armstrong joins us for a full debrief on the event, the money, the testing, and whether he plans to continue with the Enhanced Games.
PODCAST TOPICS COVERED:
The end of the podcast might be the most interesting topic. Armstrong reports that eight USA Swimming National Teamers (World Champions and Olympic gold medalists among them) asked how to enter the next Enhanced Games.
Armstrong says he believed the 50 back world record was within reach, but that he held back because he did not have enough experience racing in a super suit. Specifically, he feared a DQ by kicking past the 15-meter mark underwater.
Armstrong says his 48.0 in the 100 free may have been the better swim.
He also reveals that since announcing in March 2026 that he would compete at the Enhanced Games, he has been drug tested 11 times. For context, Armstrong says his previous most-tested year was six tests, and that came in the year he broke a world record. He was also tested at the Enhanced Games event itself.
Armstrong takes listeners behind the scenes of the athlete experience in Las Vegas, describing what he says was a vastly different environment from the traditional World Aquatics experience. He details the “white-glove” treatment athletes received, from food and travel to event management and overall support.
Competing clean, did Armstrong enjoy beating enhanced athletes? His answer is nuanced, but it makes sense.
Armstrong also discusses whether he plans to continue with the Enhanced Games, and if so, why.
Given the number of tests he says he has undergone since announcing his participation, Armstrong weighs in on whether he believes World Aquatics will allow him to race at the 2027 World Championships in Budapest and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The conversation also covers how much financial support Armstrong is receiving beyond his $375,000 in prize money, including salary, expenses, and training support.
Armstrong comments on IOC president Kirsty Coventry’s now widely discussed statement that she does not believe Olympic athletes should be paid. The comment drew criticism from elite athletes who continue to train and compete without meaningful financial security.
Armstrong also reacts to the Enhanced Games’ stated plans to pay athletes more in the future. Enhanced Games CEO Maximilian Martin recently announced a $10 million prize for any athlete who breaks Usain Bolt’s 100m world record at the 2027 Enhanced Games.
In Armstrong’s previous SwimSwam Podcast appearance, he said he would never race enhanced, even after retiring from Olympic sport. We ask him the question again now that he has gone through the training and event experience. This time, his answer is more nuanced. Listen and judge for yourself.
Armstrong also responds to SwimSwam’s coverage of the Enhanced Games, including Editor-in-Chief Braden Keith’s assessment that the debut event was “mostly an infomercial parading as a sporting spectacle,” and that it did not solve the troubled economics of Olympic sports or offer much for the traditional sports world to copy.
The podcast runs just over an hour. If we missed any questions, drop them in the comments. Armstrong will come back with an insider point of view.
Follow Hunter Armstrong on Instagram here.
Follow Gold Medal Mel on Instagram here.
Many thanks to Swimoutlet.com for their 14 year partnership and support of this swimming news and media.
SEE RECENT GMM PODCASTS:
This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
Say what yall want, but bro just made more $$$ than nearly every swimmer in history for 1 day of racing.
This podcast is the first time I’ve listened to this guy speak. Before I listened, I’ve been neutral on him: I don’t approve of him joining the EG, but I was glad he won the 50 back over the others.
Unsolicited thoughts from a yapper:
- From an audio perspective, this is a rough listen tbh. Hunter speaks at a very different pace than Mel, and I had it set to 1.25x but then Mel was too fast… not trying to shame Hunter for thinking things through before speaking, but I’d honestly rather read the transcript next time.
- It’s getting weird that the same 4 people keep complaining about SwimSwam covering EG and yet they are in every comments section
… Read more »He’s been compromised. Hunter is done for.
i’m not particularly convinced that Hunter is good with him money.
Time for everyone to face the music. Enhanced has simply attempted a business strategy that also tries to pay athletes(a strategy that may or may not work long term). Meanwhile, still no new strategic efforts from the real sport. Just the old strategy: “The Road to 2028″(coupled with IOC statements that hint their goal may be to keep pay away from the athletes). The Olympics now need to become secondary(background) to the sport. And, the current executives should to be required to develop a platform that draws new viewers/revenue in order to pay the top talent(should pay more than the executives pay – similar to other sports). No more riding the coattail of the Olympics(this strategy is slowly killing the… Read more »
Noooo you have to put a lot of hours into swimming while only making minimum wage!
That you, Hunter?
I hope he’s smart with his money.
Me too. He needs to pay off that mortgage and not get more pets
oh, wow, an investor-backed company reimbursed one of its contractors / employees for travel expenses. truly groundbreaking stuff. they *must* be legit
so, what you´re saying is, you didn´t sleep in a cardboard bed eh? Nothing but the best in Paris OG for th athletes. .all sponsors at OG should already be sharing their profits with the athletes who created their profits. .otherwise it IS slavery