Michael Phelps defends Shark Week 'race' against great white

In this July 13, 2017 file photo, retired Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps arrives at the Kids' Choice Sports Awards at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. Phelps lost to a shark in the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week special “Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White," which aired on July 23, 2017. It was billed as a race between Phelps and the predator but much to the disappointment of some Twitter users, Phelps didn’t actually swim in the water next to the shark.
In this July 13, 2017 file photo, retired Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps arrives at the Kids' Choice Sports Awards at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. Phelps lost to a shark in the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week special “Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White," which aired on July 23, 2017. It was billed as a race between Phelps and the predator but much to the disappointment of some Twitter users, Phelps didn’t actually swim in the water next to the shark.

Michael Phelps is offering no apology to viewers who were disappointed with his race against a simulated great white shark for a Discovery Channel Shark Week special.

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AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam

FILE — In this Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, file photo, the fin of a great white shark is seen swimming a past research boat in the waters off Gansbaai, South Africa.

The winningest athlete in Olympic history was bested by two seconds Sunday night in "Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White." The race didn't pit Phelps against a real shark, but rather a computer-simulated fish based on data on the swimming speed of sharks.

Phelps responded to critics in a Facebook Live video Tuesday. He notes that a shark doesn't swim in a straight line and suggested that a side-by-side race with the predator would be impossible. He later added that he made it clear before the show aired that he wouldn't be racing a real shark.

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