With a little help from CGI technology, the world got to see record holding Olympic medalist Michael Phelps race a great white shark on Sunday, July 23. Phelps went head up against the oceanic predator for the Discovery Channel's Phelps vs Shark: Great Gold vs Great White. Viewers who tuned in were treated to the visual of Phelps swimming 100 meters along the South African coast, paired with that of a great white shark swimming the same distance. The shark would defeat Phelps by a full two seconds, coming in at 36.1 to Phelps' time of 38.1 seconds in the race.

A great white can naturally swim at speeds of up to 26 miles per hour, which is far superior to the 5.5 miles per hour Phelps has been recorded maxing at. However, they are known to accelerate short distances and slow down in order to conserve energy. Thus, the decision to make the race 100 meters was made with the understanding that the U.S. Olympian would stand a better chance at competing at a lengthier stretch. He was also hooked up with a modified monofin to help him cut through the water.

The production didn't go down without its critics. Many blasted the hyped up event for obviously going the course of video graphics, and some could not help but discern that the shark wasn't shown navigating the waters at its greatest potential. However, albeit they weren't actually moving parallel to one another, there was nothing enhanced about the actual swimming. Simply, Phelps' recorded data and a selection of the sharks recorded data were brought to life side by side for an exhilarating, all the while educational experience for viewers.