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Something was fishy about the Phelps vs. shark showdown

Michael Phelps's long-awaited showdown with a great white shark turned out to be different than what many viewers expected.

Olympic swimmer ends up racing a simulation instead of a real great white

Sophie Baron · CBC Sports ·
Michael Phelps comes face-to-face encounter with a great white shark while cage diving off the South African coast. (Discovery Channel)

Michael Phelps is the fastest swimmer in the world. It would be a shame if something just turned up, out of the blue, to challenge his supremacy.

Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week featured the long-awaited race between the American Olympic champion and a great white shark on Sunday night. While the outcome seemed obvious, the intrigue was still there.

After 45 minutes of science, suspense, and very believable graphics...

...the end result was rather anticlimactic.

Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of Phelps racing alongside a real shark but the constant use of holograms had some fans smelling something fishy. Turns out it was all just a simulation.

Nevertheless, after putting on a special wet suit and a high-tech fin, it was "race time" for Phelps. And he won!

Nah, we're just pulling your leg. He lost by two seconds.

The great white's killer speed was just too much for the most decorated Olympian of all time.

And while most of the Internet was up in arms over Phelps not actually racing a live shark, we at least came away from the experience with a glorious new gif. 

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