By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
Ben Proud, one of the greatest male freestyle sprinters of the past decade, is joining the Enhanced Games.
Proud announced his move to the Games on Wednesday.
For 15 years, swimming has defined me. It has shaped my decisions, my sacrifices, and the direction of my life. Every move I made – where I lived, how I trained, what I gave up – was in the pursuit of being the best version of myself in the pool, of proving I am capable on the world stage.
That journey has given me incredible moments: Olympic finals, World titles, memories and experiences I’ll carry for life. But more than the results, it gave me a skill – something fragile, rare, and hard-earned. A skill that, in 5 to 10 years, I may no longer have the privilege to perform at this level.
I’m in a fortunate position to be able to capitalise on what I can do in the water, and to pursue something unique that excites me in a new way. For the first time in a very long time I’m making a decision not for swimming, but for myself.
I’ve reached a point where I feel deeply satisfied with everything I’ve achieved in my career. My heart is full of contentment, and I know I’m ready to move on and embrace something new. That is why I will be retiring from traditional sport to compete in the Enhanced Games.
This is not the end of my journey – it’s the beginning of a new chapter.
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“My ambition has always been to be the fastest man on the planet,” Proud said in the Enhanced Games official announcement. “I’ve spent years striving for that within traditional sport, but my motivations have shifted. Now, I want to focus on performance at its highest level and challenge myself in new ways. The Enhanced Games gives me that chance – to test the limits of human potential with the tools and possibilities of our time.”
The 30-year-old Proud has had a storied career in the pool, reaching significant heights in the 50 freestyle while representing Great Britain on the international stage.
Most recently, Proud won silver in the men’s 50 free at the 2025 World Championships, clocking a time of 21.26 in the final. He also placed 5th in the 50 fly (22.79).
In 2022, he made history by winning the LC World Championship, European Championship and Commonwealth Games titles in the men’s 50 free, becoming the first swimmer to hold all three titles in the same event in the same year (the events aren’t typically held in the same year, but were in 2022 due to unique post-COVID circumstances). When he won the European title in August, he also held the short course world title in the event, having won it in December 2021.
After a plethora of successes at every other major international competition, Proud broke through and won his first Olympic medal last summer in Paris, claiming silver in the men’s 50 free (21.30) behind Australian Cameron McEvoy (21.25). Proud had placed 4th in the 50 free at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and then finished 5th in Tokyo in 2021.
“Bringing an athlete of Ben’s caliber to the Enhanced Games is truly amazing,” said Maximilian Martin, Deputy President of the Enhanced Games. “Our mission is to offer athletes the ability to perform at their absolute highest level and get paid appropriately for their incredible talent. Ben’s decision to join us underscores the growing appeal of the Enhanced Games as the future of elite competition.”
Aquatics GB released a statement on Wednesday following the announcement:
Aquatics GB is immensely disappointed in Ben Proud’s announcement to sign with the Enhanced Games. Aquatics GB, along with our partners, stand firmly behind the values and principles of clean sport and condemns Ben’s decision in the strongest terms. A further statement will be issued in due course.
Proud is the latest accomplished swimmer to sign on with the Enhanced Games, joining male sprinters Kristian Gkolomeev, James Magnussen, Andrii Govorov and Josif Miladinov, while American Megan Romano became the first female to join the organization in early August.
Gkolomeev, who raced alongside Proud and placed 5th in the 2024 Olympic final of the men’s 50 free, went under the world record in the men’s 50 free after taking performance-enhancing drugs for just a short period of time earlier this year, clocking a time of 20.89 in a super-suit to go under Cesar Cielo‘s established record of 20.91. Gkolomeev also went 21.03 in a textile suit, under the textile world record of 21.04 held by Caeleb Dressel.
Proud owns a personal best time of 21.11 in the 50 free, set at the 2018 European Championships, which, at the time, was the fastest ever recorded in a textile suit. He also clocked 21.16 and 21.30 in 2018, and wasn’t able to match those times until he went 21.30 in the 2024 Olympic final.
His 21.26 clocking at the 2025 World Championships marked his fastest swim since 2018.
In the 50 fly, Proud owns a personal best time of 22.74, within a half-second of the current world record of 22.27, set by Govorov in 2018.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Medalist, Three-Time World Champion Ben Proud Joining Enhanced Games
