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Michael Phelps vs Shark: 20 questions everyone wants to ask as Olympic Gold takes on Great White

Why is this happening?

Michael Phelps says: "I have raced the fastest swimmers on the planet... except for one."

Is he... is he referring to a shark?

He is! Michael Phelps is in a swimming race against a shark. It's on the Discovery Channel on Monday night at 8pm in the UK

A shark; Michael Pehlps
Duel: a shark (left) v Michael Phelps

So, how fast can a shark go?

Well fast. Maybe 25mph.

scuba divers in shark cage with white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in the foreground  - Credit:  Guido Floren
Snacks are here: a shark looks forward to a tasty treat Credit: Guido Floren

How fast can a Michael Phelps go?

Phelps: “In a race, I think my fastest speed was about five or six miles per hour,"

Wait. So... how are they going to do make this close?

Phelps is being given assistance from something called a Monofin.

What is a Monofin?

It's a rubber swimming aid that the user can clip onto his or her feet to mimic the fin of a sea creature.

Will it look like this one?

Hopefully slightly more intimidating than this.

Did it help, Michael Phelps?

“So I was given a monofin to try to give myself more speed through the water and try to be a little bit quicker through certain things. But it’s challenging to handicap a race like that, and I think we did our best to try to make it as close as we could — and try to have other people to have an understanding just how powerful and how fast these animals are.”

How far do they race?

100m. Phelps has three individual Olympic gold medals over that distance. So-called shark has zero gold medals. In your face, you bitey loser.

USA's Michael Phelps celebrates after he won the Men's 200m Butterfly Final during the swimming event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games - Credit: AFP
Show us your medals: Phelps is a much more decorated Olympian than the shark Credit: AFP

Are they in a swimming pool?

Phelps: “The only thing I can say is we weren’t in a pool. We were in open water."

Woah. This sounds terrifying.

How do they get the shark to go in a straight line?

Not sure about this yet. But in order to get the Michael Phelps to go in a straight line, he explains:

“It’s hard when you have low visibility, and we did set up a lane line to make it look like there was a pool, but it is challenging to see straight and see where you’re going in water like that. It was difficult, but it was a fun experience that I’ll never forget — and hopefully will have that chance again.”

How will they stop the shark eating Michael Phelps?

"We were very safe. We had about 15 safety divers around. For me, the biggest thing was just trying to stay warm; that was something that was extremely challenging, just because the water is 55 degrees. It’s something that a shark can survive in, and a human really can’t survive in water like that.”

How will they stop Michael Phelps - who consumes 12,000 calories a day - eating the shark?

Keep him well fed, we guess.

This man is always eating!

How did they pick this specific shark?

It entered a competition. First prize was dinner for two with Richard Dreyfuss. Also, the shark lives near Cape Town, which is where the filming took place.

Actor Richard Dreyfuss poses with a model of the shark used in "Jaws" - Credit: Getty
Old pals: Actor Richard Dreyfuss poses with a model of the shark used in "Jaws" Credit: Getty

So what does the winner get?

In the case of Phelps, a cool experience, and presumably all the things that usually happen when you make TV shows like money and fame and so on. If the shark wins, it gets to eat Michael Phelps.

High Stakes! 

It doesn't REALLY get to eat him. We think. Instead, the shark will reportedly get its own reality TV show with Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff.

Andrew Flintoff - Credit: Handout
Available: Freddie Flintoff Credit: Handout

What are they saying?

Asked whether he thought Phelps could win, Ryan Lochte said: "Hell, no!"

What is Ryan Lochte - a marine biologist now?

Not very supportive of a US Olympic colleague, is it, Ryan? We bet that if, say, Simone Biles was trying to jump higher than a gazelle, Phelps would be in her corner.

Simone Biles of the United States competes on the balance beam - Credit: Getty
Support: Simone Biles of the United States competes on the balance beam Credit: Getty

Was the shark intimidated by Phelps's legendary stare-out?

It was not, no.

Is this whole thing more or less stupid than Mayweather vs McGregor?

Much, much less stupid than that.

"Will there ever be a boy born who can swim faster than a shark?"

On this evidence, probably not.