On May 24, a two-time Olympic medalist and banned athlete chases the un-chaseable. Fred Kerley believes he can break Usain Bolt’s record at sport’s most controversial event, but not the way it was designed. His target was set by Usain Bolt, who crossed the 100m line in 9.58 seconds in Berlin in 2009. Not a single sprinter has come below 9.69 since then, clean or otherwise. 

According to an exclusive by The Age’s Tom Decent, Kerley will compete in the Enhanced Games on a clean slate. Widely dubbed as the “Steroid Olympics”, the Enhanced Games, founded by Australian businessman Aron D’Souza, will see elite athletes from across the world vie for world records while using banned performance enhancers.

The concept hasn’t gone down well with fans, critics, and even heads of anti-doping agencies. Michael Cepic, the Chairman of the Central European Anti-Doping Agency, even called it “a circus.” However, the inaugural will take place in Las Vegas on May 24. It will see over 40 athletes compete across four sports: swimming, sprinting, weightlifting, and strongman.

Kerley was officially banned in March 2026 for whereabouts failure for two years. He joined Enhanced Games as the face of the event, as it even welcomed banned athletes.

Weeks after his provisional suspension in August, Kerley sat down with the Guardian in 2025 and revealed he targeted Usain Bolt’s record. “I’m looking forward to this new chapter and competing at the Enhanced Games,” Kerley said, according to The Guardian in 2025. “The world record has always been the ultimate goal of my career. This now gives me the opportunity to dedicate all my energy to pushing my limits and becoming the fastest human to ever live.”

According to Decent’s informed sources, Kerley decided he would not take PEDs before his 100m showdown. Reportedly, Kerley believes that he doesn’t need the help of PEDs to break Bolt’s iconic world record.

The 30-year-old Texan had previously teased an audacious target of 9.42 seconds under the banner “Project 9.42.” Kerley is the joint-ninth fastest man after clocking 9.76 seconds in 2022. Since then, however, the now 31-year-old recorded 9.88 in 2023, 9.81 in 2024, and 9.98 in 2025 in the 100m. However, if he does break the record, it won’t be ratified.

Partly because he’s currently serving a two-year ban until August 2027, and because the Enhanced Games allow the use of PEDs. Yet, if Kerley breaks Bolt’s 100m record, he’ll be well-rewarded by the Enhanced Games, as world record breakers will earn $1 million.

While many believed it was a hoax, the Enhanced Games paid the same to Kristian Gkolomeev for breaking the world record. At an announcement event held at Resorts World Las Vegas in 2025, the body announced Kristian broke the long-standing 50m freestyle world record with a time of 20.89 seconds, surpassing the 2009 benchmark held by Cesar Cielo and paid him.

The Greek swimmer broke the 50m freestyle record last year after taking PEDs in a privately sponsored event by the games. That’s only for athletes who break world records, while winners get $250k, which has coaxed several athletes out of retirement.

Yet while the Enhanced Games continue attracting big names and massive payouts, the backlash surrounding the event has only intensified. That especially applies to WADA president Witold Bańka, who has emerged as one of the competition’s fiercest critics.

WADA President Witold Bańka hits out at Enhanced Games

Founded by Aron D’Souza and backed by funding from Peter Thiel and a venture backed by Donald Trump, the Enhanced Games has received its fair share of criticisms. A lot of that has to do with the fact that athletes will be taking PEDs to compete and break world records. However, even with strict medical scrutiny, there is still concern about the dangerous precedent it sets.

That is exactly what WADA President Witold Bańka hinted at. Not only that, he questioned why the athletes and coaches would even want to participate in the event.

“To the few people who are choosing to participate in the Enhanced Games, athletes, coaches, and the medical personnel, I question why they would risk forever tarnishing their reputations by being associated with doping in sport,” Bańka said as per NBC New.

“The beauty and popularity of sport is based on the ideal of clean and fair competition. Athletes are meant to represent these values, which must be protected.”

This isn’t the first time that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president has questioned the veracity of the Enhanced Games. More than anyone, Banka has been against the event from the get-go, even calling it “ethically and morally” wrong. Not only that, he believes that the athletes are putting their lives at risk, as taking banned PEDs is “dangerous” to their lives.

His thoughts were echoed by Dr Adrian Lorde, the chairman of the Barbados National Anti-Doping Commission.

“From the national anti-doping point of view, I would say we are disappointed, and we advise persons not to take part in the Enhanced Games,” Lorde said, reported NBC.

Whether Kerley breaks Bolt’s record or not, the Enhanced Games have already done what it set out to do. They’ve put themselves at the centre of the biggest conversation in sport. For WADA, that’s the problem.