Simulated great white beats Michael Phelps in “Shark Week” race
Even Michael Phelps can’t out-swim a “great white shark.”
The Olympic champion swimmer was bested Sunday night in the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week special “Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White.”
But Phelps didn’t swim with a real shark. He competed in the ocean against a computer-simulated fish based on data on the swimming speed of sharks.
Phelps was outfitted with a wetsuit and a monofin to mimic a shark’s powerful tail. He finished the 100 meter race in 38 seconds, two seconds slower than the simulated shark.
Phelps tweeted Sunday that he’d like a rematch, but in warmer water.