By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
Four-time world champion Megan Romano is the first female athlete and first American to join the Enhanced Games, the organization announced Friday.
Romano, who represented the United States at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships and the 2012 Short Course World Championships, has not competed in the pool since the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials more than nine years ago.
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The 34-year-old will contest the women’s 50 free and 100 free at the inaugural Enhanced Games next May in Las Vegas, with a $1,000,000 bonus on the line if she reaches the world record in the 50 free (23.61) and $250,000 on the table if she were to crack the all-time mark in the 100 free (51.71). Both records belong to Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom.
Romano holds personal best times of 24.98 in the 50 free and 53.90 in the 100 free, both set in 2013.
Romano had a successful NCAA career at the University of Georgia, helping the Bulldogs win the 2013 women’s NCAA title while anchoring the team to a victory in the 400 free relay and placing 2nd individually in the 50 and 100 free and taking 3rd in the 200 free as a senior.
In 2012, she won the women’s NCAA title in the 200 free and placed 2nd in the 100 free and 100 back as a junior.
The St. Petersburg, Florida, native is perhaps best known for her relay performances on the international stage for the United States, memorably running down Australian Alicia Coutts in the women’s 4×100 free relay at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona, propelling the U.S. women to the gold medal in an American Record time of 3:32.43 with a 52.60 anchor split.
Romano also anchored the Americans to gold in the women’s 4×100 medley relay in Barcelona, and at the 2012 Short Course World Championships, she secured four medals, including individual silver in the women’s 100 free and a pair of relay golds in the women’s 4×100 and 4×200 free relays.
Already committed to the Enhanced Games are male swimmers Kristian Gkolomeev, James Magnussen, Andrii Govorov and Josif Miladinov, all of whom were multi-time Olympians and have impressive international resumes, including Magnussen being a three-time Olympic medallist and three-time world champion, and Govorov currently owning the world record in the men’s 50 fly.
In May, news broke that Gkolomeev went under the world record in the men’s 50 free after taking performance-enhancing drugs for just a short period of time. Though it only came to light in May, the swim took place in February.
Multiple organizations have publicly stated their dismay at the Enhanced Games, including World Aquatics barring any participants from ever competing in one of their events again.
The Enhanced Games are also encouraging athletes to participate even if they don’t use performance-enhancing drugs, allowing them to take aim at the world record for a cash prize. Founder Aron D’Souza has said he will cover the legal fees for any clean athletes who participate in the Games and are then banned from mainstream competition.
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