Michael Phelps will compete in his final event in the form of the 4X100m relay. (Source: Reuters)
The most decorated Olympian of all time Michael Phelps failed to keep up with a great white shark in a much awaited event ‘Shark Week’ by Dicovery Channel on Sunday as he competed with one of the most feared animals in a 100m race.
There was plenty of buildup for this event, a lot of anticipation as the world waited to watch Phelps finally meeting his match. And to everyone’s amazement, Phelps lost the race. The 32-year old swimmer, who is a world record holder for 100m and 200m butterfly as well as 400m individual medley, swam a 100m stretch of warm Bahamas water in 38.1 seconds but lost out by two seconds to a Great White Shark swimming the same course.
While the program ‘Man vs shark’ explained how fast sharks truly are and showcased a wetsuit and monofin for Phelps to use, he lost to the computerised shark by two seconds.
The moment of glory for #TeamShark!!! #PhelpsVsShark #SharkWeek pic.twitter.com/NWYp1CwiRa
— Shark Week (@SharkWeek) 24 July 2017
The White Shark moved at a speed of 25mph in the much hyped stunt show that was aired on Sunday. The show was started in 1988 to raise awareness about shark attacks and conservation.
After losing, Phelps asked for a rematch in a tweet that he posted from his official social media account.
Rematch? Next time..warmer water. #SW30 @Discovery @SharkWeek
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) 24 July 2017
Viewers, however, expressed disappointment to find out that the celebrated Olympian was competing to a computer-generated image of a shark based on a projection of its speed rather than an actual one.
