Kristian Gkolomeev’s time will carry no legitimacy in elite swimming circles, but his teammates celebrated as though it were a genuine world record.

As Cam McEvoy’s world record time becomes a focal point Las Vegas, swimmers say the lure of million-dollar bonuses outweighed concerns over drugs, reputation and risk.

Two-time Olympian Hunter Armstrong has pocketed $350,000 for less than 25 seconds work in Las Vegas.