KINGSTON, Jamaica – Sprinter Shockoria Wallace has become the first Jamaican to announce her participation in the controversial Enhanced Games, set to debut in May.
Shockoria WallaceThe 32-year-old Jamaican joins sprinter Taylor Anderson, Marvin Bracy-Williams (United States), Mike Bryan (Germany), Clarence Munyai (South Africa), and Reece Prescod (United Kingdom) as the latest additions to the men’s and women’s fields for the games.
The Enhanced Games, which will be held in Las Vegas, will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs, if they desire, to augment their performances across several disciplines, including athletics and swimming.
Athletes who break world records will win a grand prize of US$1 million.
Wallace said she was eagerly looking forward to participating in the event, despite it facing backlash from several sporting organisations.
“I am officially announcing that I am now a member of the Enhanced Games team. I am proud, I am excited to go on this journey,” Wallace said in an Instagram post on Monday.
“They do provide a lot for athletes, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be working with them moving forward. I, Shokoria Wallace, will be racing down that track to break the world record and win a grand prize of US$1 million. I am excited.”
Wallace has personal bests of 11.09 seconds in the 100 metres and 7.22 in the 60 metres.
She did not specify which of her events she was aiming to break the record for, but the 100-metre world record is 10.49 seconds, set by American sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner (Flo-Jo) in 1988 during the US Olympic trials, while the 60 metre record of 6.92 seconds is held by Russia’s Irina Privalova, set in Madrid, Spain in 1993.
Wallace maintained that she was not under any pressure to take performance-enhancing drugs, emphasising that the Enhanced Games team gave athletes the choice to compete naturally or enhanced under medical supervision.
Major sporting bodies, including World Athletics and World Aquatics have spoken out against the Enhanced Games, citing the potential impact on athletes and sport.
World Aquatics enacted a bylaw in 2025 banning individuals who “support, endorse, or participate in sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices that may include prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods” from participating in its events.
