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We have a winner in that wild-sounding Michael Phelps vs. shark race

It was close.
 By 
Johnny Lieu
 on 
We have a winner in that wild-sounding Michael Phelps vs. shark race
Michael Phelps, not swimming against a shark. Credit: Spomer/CSM/REX/Shutterstock

Famed 23-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps is fast in the water.

But he wasn't quite fast enough for a great white shark, as viewers found out on Sunday night. The animal and the swimmer competed against each other in a Discovery Channel special aptly named Phelps vs. Shark.

It wasn't a complete blowout, with the shark beating Phelps by only two seconds.

One thing worth noting is that the shark isn't actually in the water with him. He's swimming against the time of the shark, which has been digitally superimposed next to him on screen.

"Well, we're not in the water at the same exact time. I think that's the one thing we all wanted everybody to know -- I was safe, which is number one," Phelps told Good Morning America on Thursday.

But some people were disappointed by the technicalities of the race, which, let's face it, would've been pure madness and extremely uninsurable.

Topics Animals

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Johnny Lieu

Mashable Australia's Web Culture Reporter.Reach out to me on Twitter at @Johnny_Lieu or via email at jlieu [at] mashable.com

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