Michael Phelps will race a great white shark for the Discovery Channel's Shark Week

(Image credit: Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

published 16 June 2017

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has battled the world's fastest swimmers and amassed 39 world records, but his toughest race is yet to come. Next month, Phelps is poised to face off against a great white shark in an epic race that's part of the Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week.

Details about how this race will go down remain unclear — sharks surely can't swim between lane lines, after all — but a quick glance at a great white's average speed doesn't bode well for Phelps' chances of winning his 24th gold medal. Per Discovery, a great white shark can swim at a rate of at least 25 miles per hour, though it can "achieve bursts of speed of 35 miles per hour or more." Phelps' fastest swim ever was swum at a speed of 6 miles per hour, ESPN reported.

Shark Week kicks off July 23. The big race, Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White, is slated for Shark Week's finale on July 30.