A Letter from Lindsay Gkolomeev, Wife of the Fastest Swimmer in History:
My husband, Kristian Gkolomeev, recently retired from traditional competitive swimming and made the bold decision to join the Enhanced Games. With the support of their team, he legally took doctor-prescribed performance-enhancing compounds and achieved the goal that was set for him: to break a world record in swimming. He did exactly that–and earned the $1 million prize he was promised. It was a business decision, plain and simple.
Kristian has always been one of the best in the world in his race. He represented Greece in four Olympic Games, placing 5th in the world in the 50 freestyle at the last two. Since 2017, he has made every World Championship final in that event. He’s been at the top of the sport for years–not by luck, but by relentless work.
For 13 years, he was in the WADA testing pool, required to report his location 365 days a year. Whether we were home, at my parents’ in Texas, or traveling through Europe, we could be woken up at 6:00 AM by a knock at the door and a drug test. And we were–over and over again.
And through all of that? The only “performance enhancer” he ever took was creatine. No state-of-the-art labs, no behind-the-scenes support, no shortcuts. Just pure talent and grit. And for that, he was paid as little as $5,000 a year, even while ranking top 8 in the world.
Then came Enhanced. And for the first time, Kristian is supported the way an elite athlete should be. They pay him more in one month what we used to receive in an entire year. They care for him medically, emotionally, and financially. They treat us like family in every way– with transparency, dignity, and trust.
To those questioning his health: Kristian isn’t taking anything now. He took small, medically prescribed doses for just 12 weeks under supervision, and he won’t take anything again until next year’s preparation begins. This isn’t abuse. This isn’t secrecy. This is a legal, transparent, and structured plan that was designed to help him perform–and it worked.
Let’s be clear: Kristian didn’t break any rules. He is not doping. Everything he did was legal, medically supervised, and in line with the mission of Enhanced games: to create a transparent platform where athletes are empowered, not punished, for safely maximizing their potential Kristian made a business decision.
And before you judge it, ask yourself honestly: Why do you go to work? To get paid. To support your family. To be recognized for what you bring to the table. That’s what a job is meant to do–reward your effort, time, and skill.
For over a decade, Kristian gave everything to a system that gave him almost nothing back. He trained harder than most people can imagine, followed every rule, and made it to the very top–only to earn less than a livable wage.
Continued in comments…
