Michael Phelps Is Going To Race A Great White Shark

Olympic Gold Medalitst Michael Phelps has teamed up with Shark Week to create a special segment called Phelps vs. Shark: Great White vs. Great Gold that will air on Discovery July 23 at 8 P.M.

The goal is to have the shark swim in a straight line for 100m and then compare the sharks time to Michaels 100m time. Although the producers of the show are keeping quiet on how exactly the race will work.

When asked about how this entire segment came to be Phelps told Esquire that, “interacting with sharks has been on his bucket list for years. My whole life I’ve been very infatuated with sharks, I grew up watching Shark Week, and I was always there glued to the TV. It was always during a time when I was competing.” 

The training for this race was different from any Olympic training that Michael has every experienced; he says that, “I was really just preparing myself to be in cold water, and to be in 55 degree water is something that’s difficult to prepare for.” On top of that sharks swim 25 miles per hour compared to Phelps’ 6 miles per hour. However, Michael is not going down without a fight.

Phelps even took it upon himself to go to Shark School to “learn all about the different species and watching them in their environment.” July 30th on Discovery you can see the segment called Shark School With Michael Phelps where he goes to the “Bahamas to lay on the bottom of the ocean floor, having a nurse shark rest on his leg. Michael also comes face to face with a hammerhead and a great white.”

Michael we just want you to know that we are all routing for you but truly expect you to take the L because well….sharks…amiright!?!