James Magnussen reveals training regime for next Enhanced Games after missing 50m freestyle world record
The retired Australian swimmer, whose 'massive' physique made headlines, was beaten by Greece's Kristian Gkolomeev at the North Carolina event.
'Kristian cruises in after eight weeks of protocol. He gets up and bam, breaks the world record in the week that's supposed to be about me breaking this world record,' Magnussen told the
Hello Sport podcast.
'It was a really weird feeling, it was really mixed emotions. I love Kristian, he's a great guy. He's had a really tough life, lost both parents. That million dollars for him was completely life changing,' he said.
'It was more money that he'd ever made in his entire swimming career. So I was happy for him but that was meant to be me doing that. That was a hard moment.'
Magnussen, who has been using testosterone and peptides, said, 'With my next preparation, I won't be as big as I was. My doses were low to moderate, doctors have been like, 'You can microdose that stuff'. You can microdose, get the same effects, get less size but still get the recovery and be able to train hard and have a much better for the actual games.'
He added, 'Now I think I would prepare like a natural athlete and the protocol is just a cherry on top. It just gives you that extra bit. This time around, I'll prepare and get myself in the best possible shape naturally and add that protocol on top, that extra couple of per cent that you need to go from world standard to fastest in history.'
Magnussen also described the challenges of finding a banned supersuit for his attempt: 'We were scouring the world for a supersuit, we found one. We saved this, I tried the suit on the night before I race and the suit breaks at the thigh. The suits Kristian and I wear, they're like an open water suit,' he said.
'The ones we wore were about 40 per cent polyurethane, basically it's 40 per cent as good as the OG (original). The bigger the athlete, the more it helps. That was a big factor in me saying I can break the world record, I want one of these (suits). Now, leading into the actual Games. It doesn't seem that hard to make.
'There's no rules for these Games. Why can't we go double, triple the thickness and really float a guy. I'm now looking into who can manufacture me one of these bad boys for the actual Games.'
Despite criticism from other top swimmers, Magnussen remains determined to compete at the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas next year, where the use of performance-enhancing substances is permitted under medical supervision.
'Other competitors will watch that and go 'Oh he wasn't that fast',' he said. 'I know how fast I was at different times in my preparation and I know what to do differently.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Cat and mouse game': How 12-year-old Kelia will tackle the 12-foot slabs of Teahupo'o
The cool kids would say Teahupo'o is going turbo this week. As if by some transcendental spiritual force, a southwest swell has hit the revered-and-feared reef just in time for the Tahiti Pro. And those not busy pondering the prospect of surfing a 12-foot slab themselves have been asking how a 12-year-old might approach such a risky endeavour. Kelia Mehani Gallina's father is just as concerned with basic physics. She stands just four feet and nine inches, and he still pushes her onto bigger waves. 'She's so small that she can't really catch a 10-foot wave – it would be almost physically impossible,' says Ryan on the eve of his daughter's record-breaking Championship Tour debut. 'There's a mathematical limit, the way I'm looking at it, with her size, her weight, and the size of her board as well.' If the math ain't mathing on the day, Gallina will have to find another way. The tiny girl with the golden hair will become the youngest pro surfer in competitive history from Friday, having earned her spot as a wildcard in the local trials last month. And if the swell is still pushing 10 feet as forecast, and she cannot physically paddle on the biggest waves, her heat against Australian world No.1 (and golfing buddy at the family backyard driving range) Molly Picklum and American star Lakey Peterson will become more of a puzzle to solve. 'The game plan is to try to get the medium wave in between the big sets, which is very difficult as well, because then you can get the big wave on your head,' says Ryan. 'In the event that it's big, if she can build up the courage and ability to play the cat and mouse game. Anything that's like a 10-foot face and smaller, I think she can catch. If she's positioned well, she's committed and everything comes into place, she can do it.' So there is danger in the physics, too. And Gallina herself admits to being 'a little bit scared'. 'Because of the size,' she clarifies, as if not self-evident. But she is 'super excited' too, which she conveys via a high-pitched chirp down the other end of a phone line that reminds she is not yet a teenager. She will be this Sunday, by which point she'll know whether excited or scared becomes the dominant emotion as the world watches her tackle a break she has known intimately since she was four years old.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
‘Cat and mouse game': How 12-year-old Kelia will tackle the 12-foot slabs of Teahupo'o
The cool kids would say Teahupo'o is going turbo this week. As if by some transcendental spiritual force, a southwest swell has hit the revered-and-feared reef just in time for the Tahiti Pro. And those not busy pondering the prospect of surfing a 12-foot slab themselves have been asking how a 12-year-old might approach such a risky endeavour. Kelia Mehani Gallina's father is just as concerned with basic physics. She stands just four feet and nine inches, and he still pushes her onto bigger waves. 'She's so small that she can't really catch a 10-foot wave – it would be almost physically impossible,' says Ryan on the eve of his daughter's record-breaking Championship Tour debut. 'There's a mathematical limit, the way I'm looking at it, with her size, her weight, and the size of her board as well.' If the math ain't mathing on the day, Gallina will have to find another way. The tiny girl with the golden hair will become the youngest pro surfer in competitive history from Friday, having earned her spot as a wildcard in the local trials last month. And if the swell is still pushing 10 feet as forecast, and she cannot physically paddle on the biggest waves, her heat against Australian world No.1 (and golfing buddy at the family backyard driving range) Molly Picklum and American star Lakey Peterson will become more of a puzzle to solve. 'The game plan is to try to get the medium wave in between the big sets, which is very difficult as well, because then you can get the big wave on your head,' says Ryan. 'In the event that it's big, if she can build up the courage and ability to play the cat and mouse game. Anything that's like a 10-foot face and smaller, I think she can catch. If she's positioned well, she's committed and everything comes into place, she can do it.' So there is danger in the physics, too. And Gallina herself admits to being 'a little bit scared'. 'Because of the size,' she clarifies, as if not self-evident. But she is 'super excited' too, which she conveys via a high-pitched chirp down the other end of a phone line that reminds she is not yet a teenager. She will be this Sunday, by which point she'll know whether excited or scared becomes the dominant emotion as the world watches her tackle a break she has known intimately since she was four years old.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
West Coast Eagles bring back Matt Flynn and Sandy Brock as Adelaide rest veteran star
West Coast have recalled ruckman Matt Flynn after just one game in the reserves as ladder-leaders Adelaide have once again rested veteran Taylor Walker. The Eagles are to make at least three changes for their clash at Optus Stadium on Sunday, with Flynn, midfielder Jack Graham and defender Sandy Brock named in the starting 18 for the clash against the Crows. Defender Harry Edwards will miss with a foot injury, while exciting young Eagle Tyrell Dewar has been omitted after playing 15 games this season. Graham returns for his first game after being suspended for four games for a homophobic slur last month, having been named on the wing. Brock is set to once again take on Crows forward Darcy Fogarty who he kept to one goal in their previous encounter this year. Out-of-contract speedster Jack Petruccelle and forward Jack Williams have been named on an extended bench alongside Tyler Brockman, Ryan Maric, Tom Gross, Clay Hall, Bailey Williams and Hamish Davis. Flynn was dropped after the Eagles' derby defeat, missing the match-up against Melbourne captain and seven-time All-Australian Max Gawn at the weekend. The 27-year-old responded with 24 disposals, 30 hit-outs and five clearances for the Eagles' WAFL side in their 69-point defeat to East Perth at Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Saturday. Williams' selection comes despite the 21-year-old not kicking a goal from a total of 13 touches in his past two WAFL games. Dewar got the axe after he was subbed out of the 83-point loss to the Demons with only five touches. The Crows will leave 35-year-old Walker at home, with the former captain having missed their round 11 encounter. He is now set to play his 300th game in the Crows' first final. Brayden Cook and Brodie Smith have both been dropped with veteran Rory Laird as well as Chris Burgess, Harry Schoenberg, James Borlase, Lachlan Murphy and Luke Pedlar all named as potential inclusions. WEST COAST v ADELAIDE Sunday, Optus Stadium, 3.10pm EAGLES B: R Bazzo S Brock T Cole HB: T McCarthy R Ginbey L Duggan C: C Chesser T Kelly J Graham HF: L Baker J Shanahan M Owies F: L Ryan A Reid J Cripps FOLL: M Flynn B Hough E Hewett I/C: T Brockman J Petruccelle R Maric T Gross C Hall B Williams J Williams H Davis IN: S Brock J Graham M Flynn J Petruccelle J Williams OUT: H Edwards (foot) T Dewar (omitted) CROWS B: J Worrell N Murray H Bond HB: W Milera M Keane R Laird C: I Cumming J Dawson D Curtin HF: B Keays R Thilthorpe A Neal-Bullen F: I Rankine D Fogarty C Burgess FOLL: R O'Brien S Berry J Soligo I/C: C Jones Z Taylor J Peatling M Hinge H Schoenberg J Borlase L Murphy L Pedlar IN: R Laird C Burgess H Schoenberg J Borlase L Murphy L Pedlar OUT: T Walker (managed) B Cook B Smith (both omitted)
