Michael Phelps Loses to Great White Shark

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Photo Courtesy: YouTube

Michael Phelps swore he would not come back to competitive swimming after the 2016 Olympics. Tonight, he came back out of retirement for one more race. He wasn’t racing in Budapest at the World Championships. He wasn’t at a club meet out in Arizona. He wasn’t racing the 200 IM at Speedo Sectionals.

Nope. He was racing in South Africa against a Great White Shark on the Discovery Channel as part of Shark Week.

Well, actually it was a computer generated avatar, based on speeds measured earlier in the show while the shark was chasing a seal. The shark finished 100 meters of swimming at 36.1 seconds.

Phelps wore a full body wet suit, similar to what Ian Thorpe used to wear in his heyday. The suit was to help Phelps swim in the 56 degree Fahrenheit water, some 24 degrees cooler than normal Olympic pools. Phelps also wore a monofin to mimic the tail of the shark.

Phelps swam the 100m distance underwater, only coming up for a few breaths, and finished in 38.1 seconds to finish second to the shark.

“I don’t like taking silver medals, but I’ll take one to a great white,” said Phelps after the race.

The South African shark had to have revenge on its mind after its countryman Chad Le Clos lost to Phelps last summer in the 200 fly. The race was not FINA approved so the shark’s time will not count as a world record, despite its following of the Lochte rule during the race. However, the shark surfaced after 15 meters so its time may not have counted anyway.

Phelps was not opposed to a rematch, as he tweeted after the race that he wanted to swim in “warmer water” next time.

The rest of the swimming world had some fun on Twitter with the much anticipated race.

The series isn’t over until it’s over.

Maybe we can get some expert analysis?

Could the shark hold off the fastest relay split ever?

Perhaps the shark is going to have to race again?

The shark was not available for comment after the race, as it was busy chasing another meal.

Phelps will star on the final night of Shark Week in “Shark School with Michael Phelps” next Sunday at 8 ET.

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Mickey McNeil
6 years ago

Home court advantage for Shark! I want to see Dressel race a shark!!

Jim Bowser
6 years ago
Reply to  Mickey McNeil

Home pool advantage

Lauren Royce
6 years ago

only by a couple seconds! He said he had fun. Don’t cry guys, he’s obviously not dead

Susan L. Lansbury
6 years ago

No kidding!!!! Those sharks are fueled by human flesh! Haha

Matt Seadog
6 years ago

The shark speed was determined by research testing and measurement .

Ray Plotecia
6 years ago
Reply to  Matt Seadog

You got a problem with that?

Thomas Richner
6 years ago

Shocked- he would get destroyed by a salmon too.

Lisa Castel
6 years ago
Orlando De La Torre
6 years ago

Just two seconds off

Janet Smith-Johnson
6 years ago

But he didn’t shave his face even! ?

Brieanna Franze
6 years ago

Not by very much!

Donna Lynn Spahn
6 years ago

So what he’s still the king in the pool, he is a Champ to try don’t see these haters talking negative doing anything in this category. Because it’s the 1% who do – Keep kicking ass Michael Phelps-☆☆☆▪☆

Trevor Pemberton
6 years ago

That was expected

Tracey Pannell
6 years ago

It was a fake shark so the shark wasn’t even swimming fast

Hope Bennett Toney
6 years ago

Virginia White Pou we were just talking about this!

Lynette Besonday-Washburn

Duh

Megan Klubertanz
6 years ago

Rosie Ellie sad news

Stacey Brown
6 years ago

Gillian ?

Debi Olivier
6 years ago

Danielle

Danielle Olivier
6 years ago
Reply to  Debi Olivier

They should have lochte try it since he has the fastest underwater kick. Phelps would come in, gasp!, 3rd…

Jessica Lou
6 years ago

Marlon Somwaru

Powie Medina
6 years ago

Rocelle Surio

BigNowhere
BigNowhere
6 years ago

Ian Thorpe did not wear a wetsuit. It was a full body suit but it was not made out of wetsuit material. If he had worn an actual wetsuit, his 400 time would have been 3:30.

Kylie Youmans
6 years ago

Ashton Seip Bill Youmans welll imaaagine thaaaat

Bill Youmans
6 years ago
Reply to  Kylie Youmans

Yes, but how many endorsements does the shark have?

Ashton Seip
6 years ago
Reply to  Kylie Youmans

I’m pretty sure that shark has never won an Olympic medal either 😉

Kylie Youmans
6 years ago
Reply to  Kylie Youmans

Ashton Seip Bill Youmans #priorities

Cal King
6 years ago

Hannah Dawson Courtney Brown what a suprise

Courtney Brown
6 years ago
Reply to  Cal King

Actually closer than we thought!!!

Hannah Dawson
6 years ago
Reply to  Cal King

Courtney Brown still team shark haha

Jim Bowser
6 years ago

Did we really expect a different outcome.

Pat Laughlin
6 years ago

Duh!

Nick Toirkens
6 years ago

Sarah Frazer forward too ty and stuff ??

Sarah Frazer
6 years ago
Reply to  Nick Toirkens

Ty Post-Robertson

Ty Post-Robertson
6 years ago
Reply to  Nick Toirkens

Hahahah ?

Hannah Nguyen
6 years ago

Katie Nguyen Melisa Cakir Tracy Nguyen a tragedy ?

Tracy Nguyen
6 years ago
Reply to  Hannah Nguyen

????

Katie Nguyen
6 years ago
Reply to  Hannah Nguyen

his career is over ???

Seif Tarek Bakr
6 years ago

Hana El-Badrawy

Hana El-Badrawy
6 years ago

obviouslayyyy

Margaret Jiménez Jara

Maca Salazar

Kalina Grace Emaus
6 years ago

Anne Emaus

Favi Godfrey
6 years ago

by 2 seconds!!! considering the shark’s many advantages Phelps did amazing!!!

Jonathan Rutter
6 years ago

Matthew Coetzee finally you guys won something

Matthew Coetzee
6 years ago
Paula Manns
6 years ago

Devin Kellett Kenyon Kellett

Kenyon Kellett
6 years ago
Reply to  Paula Manns

By 2 seconds I think ?

Christelle Henken
6 years ago

Tian Henken

Rob Richardson
6 years ago

But he beat the reef Shark!

Ilika Mallik
6 years ago

Robina Mallik

Tyler Jean
6 years ago

This is so stupid

Jernelle Roberta Uys
6 years ago

Matthew Kimble… He wants to swim in warm water next time

Matthew Kimble
6 years ago

Will that not also help the shark?

Saif Husain
6 years ago

Rafael ah shite

Rafael Ali Abbasi
6 years ago
Reply to  Saif Husain

it’s because the water was cold

Rafael Ali Abbasi
6 years ago
Reply to  Saif Husain

they made him lose on purpose

Rafael Ali Abbasi
6 years ago
Reply to  Saif Husain

it’s all rigged

Tulasi Chaitanya Kolymvitis
Tulasi Chaitanya Kolymvitis

Lochte is faster in underwater I guess he would have bet

Tulasi Chaitanya Kolymvitis

Shark late start reaction time is very poor

Emanuele Calderone
6 years ago

And we don’t give a f**k.

Hollye Blekestad
6 years ago

Casey Christian

Gary-Deeann Nolan
6 years ago

Give Phelps a breathing apparatus so he doesn’t have to come up for breaths and it’s race on!!

Robert Tyminski
6 years ago

He needs to work harder in practice

David Tanurovski
6 years ago

If I was Phelps I would ask for a rematch

Oren Malka
6 years ago

Amir Haviv

Nina Strack
6 years ago

Julia dang it he lost, but only by like 2 seconds ???

Nina Strack
6 years ago
Reply to  Nina Strack

it’s still a ridiculous time though ?

Julia Setzler
6 years ago
Reply to  Nina Strack

He should race a walrus

Hamza Garib
6 years ago

Kawas Aga lmao “despite following the lochte rule”

Kawas Aga
6 years ago
Reply to  Hamza Garib

Hahahaha this is gold. It comes into effect for the shark every time. I’m quite surprised though, as Phelps went 38.1, which is 10 seconds under world record. You can argue that he was wearing a full techno suit, which would give upto 2 seconds, and a hydro fin, which would give around 7-9 seconds, but then again, he was swimming in water 24 degrees below FINA regulated water, so, he does seem somewhat close to what he was when he left swimming.

Mishael Hyat Ayub
6 years ago

Yahya Khan

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