British Olympic sprinter joins Enhanced Games 100m field
Reece Prescod is the third sprinter who's run under 10 seconds to join the doping-encouraged Games
Kevin Morris
With less than six months to go until the inaugural Enhanced Games, the men’s 100m lineup is beginning to take shape. On Wednesday, The Times reported that British Olympian Reece Prescod has become the latest sub-10-second sprinter to commit to the controversial, drug-encouraged competition.
Prescod, 29, owns a personal best of 9.93 seconds in the 100m, making him the fourth-fastest British sprinter in history. He has represented Great Britain at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, winning medals at the European and world level, in addition to being a two-time British national 100m champion. Prescod also made headlines at the Tokyo Olympics, where he was disqualified from the 100m semi-finals after a false start.
Prescod becomes the fourth male sprinter to announce his participation in the Enhanced Games, joining American Fred Kerley, Mouhamadou Fall of France and Emmanuel Matadi of Liberia. Three of the four men now committed to the event have run under 10 seconds in the 100m.
UK Athletics responded quickly to the announcement, with CEO Jack Buckner describing Prescod’s decision as “profoundly disappointing” in a statement released Wednesday.
“As a former athlete, I find this particularly appalling,” Buckner said. “Those of us who have competed know what it takes to succeed the right way—through talent, dedication, and respect for the rules. The Enhanced Games stand in direct opposition to those values. To see a British athlete aligning themselves with an event that celebrates the use of performance-enhancing drugs is profoundly disappointing.”
UK Athletics reiterated that it does not recognize the Enhanced Games as a legitimate sporting competition, adding that any event that promotes or permits the use of harmful substances to push the human body to its limits for short-term gain “is not sport.”
Scheduled for May 24, 2026, the Enhanced Games promise a prize purse of US$500,000, with $250,000 awarded to each event winner. To date, the confirmed track events include the men’s and women’s 100m, with the potential addition of the 110m and 100m hurdles (though no hurdlers have publicly committed). An additional $1 million bonus has been offered to any athlete who breaks Usain Bolt’s 100m world record of 9.58 seconds, even though such a performance would not be recognized as an official world record.
The doping-permitted competition is the brainchild of Australian entrepreneur Aron D’Souza and has received financial backing from billionaire Peter Thiel and Donald Trump, Jr. The project has also drawn attention from Hollywood, with actor and Wrexham AFC co-owner Rob McElhenney reportedly attached to produce a film documenting the event.
