Michael Phelps Intends to Win Shark Week by Racing an Actual Shark

Each year, the Discovery Channel gives us something to look forward to with its week-long marathon of shark programming, aptly dubbed Shark Week. This year is promising to be extra great, however, as retired Olympic swim champ Michael Phelps has just announced that in honor of the television event, he’ll be taking on the magnificent creature in its own natural habitat to see once and for all who’s really the king of speed.

The Discovery Channel played up the sure-to-be highly anticipated swim-off, saying, “They are one of the fastest and most efficient predators on the planet: sharks. He is our greatest champion to ever get in the water: Michael Phelps. But he has one competition left to win… Phelps v. shark.”

Though it may seem like a surprising matchup, with Phelps already having taken home 23 gold medals and all but slaying his human competition, this actually seems like a pretty fair race. Add in the fact that the shark doesn’t even know that he’s racing, and we might even have a winner in our Olympic hero!

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The deets on how exactly this one’s gonna go down are still yet under wraps, but we do know when we can watch it all happen: June 23 at 8pm/7c. Calendars, marked!

Better get that “mad face” on, Phelps!

Who do you think will win this match? Phelps or the shark? Cast your vote over @BritandCo!

(h/t Sports Illustrated; Photos via Greg Fiume + Frazer Harrison/Getty)