"We all know what we came for. And that's world records.
And so, to be that agonizingly close, it's frustrating," said Proud, a Paris 2024 silver medalist.
Despite widespread use of testosterone and anabolic steroids among the 42 competitors, several clean athletes also secured victories.
American swimmer Hunter Armstrong won the men's 50m backstroke in 24.21 seconds, defeating two enhanced rivals, while unenhanced sprinters Fred Kerley and Tristan Evelyn won their respective 100-meter dash events.
"Man, they got to do better than that. They need to train a little harder.
Get on that shit a little bit more," joked Kerley, a former 100m world champion currently serving a suspension for missing drug tests.
In weightlifting, multiple athletes failed to set new benchmarks despite extra attempts.
"Man, if I had about four more weeks (in training) I’d say I’d have had a good shot at it," said Wesley Kitts, who fell short alongside Beatriz Piron and Boady Santavy.
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The event, backed by investors Donald Trump Jr. and billionaire Peter Thiel, drew sharp condemnation from health experts who warned that the substances used could cause fatal heart, liver, and kidney complications.
