Michael Phelps to race a great white shark!
The Olympic gold medalist plans to get up close and personal with this sea predator.
The competition will be a part of the line up for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week this July.
The network released a statement that said: “They are one of the fastest and most efficient predators on the planet: Sharks. He is out greatest champion to ever get in the water: Michael Phelps. 39 world records. 23 Olympic golds. But he has one competition left to win. An event so monumental no one has ever attempted it before. The world’s most decorated athlete takes on the ocean’s most efficient predator: Phelps V Shark- the race his on! Produced by Peacock Productions.”
Does he actually have a chance of beating a shark? Twitter thinks so:
Michael Phelps is gonna race a great white shark for #SharkWeek 😳
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) June 16, 2017
Who ya got? pic.twitter.com/WlIWnmCZLr
Odds to win race
— Sports Insights (@SportsInsights) June 20, 2017
Michael Phelps +600
Great White Shark -1200
via @BovadaLV pic.twitter.com/GMHFTQ9VAN
#JawsTaughtUs That no matter how large and fast the shark is, Michael Phelps will still try to race it. #SharkWeek pic.twitter.com/xNt1ZxcriO
— Fun.com Jobs (@fundotcomjobs) June 20, 2017
Phelps gave viewers a preview of the dangerous feat, posting a photo of a great white swimming in clear waters alongside what looks to be a boat. "I was able to do something that I had always wanted to do. Be in a cage and dive with great White sharks," he captioned the Instagram snapshot.
Shark Week is an annual, week-long TV programming block created by Tom Golden at the Discovery Channel, which features shark-based programming. Shark Week originally premiered on July 17, 1988.
Discovery Channel's upcoming 'Great Gold vs. Great White' event airs 23 July.