Reece Prescod revealed on Wednesday that he will come out of retirement and join the Enhanced Games sprint roster that will compete at the company’s Las Vegas showcase in May.
Prescod, 29, ran for Great Britain primarily in the 100m and 200m and was part of the men’s 4×100m relay team that won bronze at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. He retired last August after reportedly dealing with hamstring injuries.
He joins Fred Kerley, Emmanuel Matadi, Mouhamadou Fall and Shania Collins who were previously announced as part of a sprinting group that continues to add athletes.
“Enhanced has provided me with life-changing medical supervision, exceptional training support, and a fantastic compensation model,” Prescod said in a statement. “I’m eager to push myself to new heights in Las Vegas and race against my fellow sprinters. This is a new chapter for me, and I’m excited to be part of something where I feel valued and talent is recognized.”
Prescod emerged as one of Great Britain’s top sprinters in 2017 and won silver at the European Championships in Berlin in 2018. In his only Olympics appearance in Tokyo in 2021, Prescod was disqualified in the semifinals of the men’s 100m.
Enhanced has drawn significant controversy by permitting its athletes to use prohibited substances in competition. Founder Aron D’Souza envisioned using the event — and the company — as a way to push the bounds of performance. However, banned drugs has put Enhanced on the radar of some of the sporting world’s major governing bodies, with the World Anti-Doping Agency, World Aquatics, USA Swimming and France’s Olympic committee among the company’s critics.
By late Wednesday, UK Athletics chief Jack Buckner blasted Prescod’s decision to sign with Enhanced.
“As a former athlete, I find this particularly appalling,” Buckner said in a statement. “Those of us who have competed know what it takes to succeed the right way – through talent, dedication, and respect for the rules. To see a British athlete aligning themselves with an event that celebrates the use of performance-enhancing drugs is profoundly disappointing.”
UK Athletics also formally weighed in on the matter in a lengthy statement that condemned Prescod and Enhanced.
“UK Athletics is disappointed by reports that former Great Britain sprinter Reece Prescod intends to take part in the so-called Enhanced Games,” the statement said. “UKA does not recognize the Enhanced Games as a legitimate sporting competition. Any event that promotes or permits the use of harmful substances with the aim of pushing the human body to its limit for short-term goals is not sport as we value it.
“This concept fundamentally undermines the integrity of competition, places athletes’ health and welfare at serious risk, and is incompatible with the principles of clean sport that underpin athletics in the UK and worldwide. The very reason clean sport exists is because those involved saw the risks that resulted from athletes taking substances that led to severe life changing harms.”
The statement continued: “Over the years British athletes have experienced the devastating impact of doping, through losing the opportunities afforded from winning major medals, receiving recognition only years later, or by having medals removed, so it is disappointing to see a former team member demonstrate disregard in this manner.
“UKA’s Clean Athletics Policy is clear: doping and the use of prohibited substances or methods will not be tolerated. While Reece Prescod is no longer part of the UKA performance system, his decision to associate with an event that directly contravenes both our policy and the World Anti-Doping Code is unacceptable.”
Enhanced also announced on Wednesday that it signed Hafþór “Thor” Björnsson, who will attempt a record-breaking lift at the Enhanced Games. Björnsson, 37, is a former World’s Strongest Man Champion and will be the only competitor in an exhibition at the showcase as he plans to break his own 510kg (1,124 pound) deadlift world record on May 24.
