Phelps to race a Great White Shark

The spectacle will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT on July 23, on the opening night of Shark Week, but it is not just about competition for Phelps. Education plays a part, too.

Phelps seems to be set for a race of a different kind.

Now that Michael Phelps has retired from competitive swimming, he can try more leisurely pursuits. Like racing a great white shark.

So claims Discovery Channel in a release touting the 29th edition of Shark Week, with the 23-time Olympic gold medalist set to play a starring role.

The rather vaguely worded announcement says Phelps will take on "An event so monumental no one has ever attempted it before. The world’s most decorated athlete takes on the ocean’s most efficient predator: Phelps V Shark – the race is on!"

That spectacle will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT on July 23 on the opening night of Shark Week, but it's not just about competition for Phelps. Education plays a part, too.

So he'll be back the following Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT for the final show in the weeklong celebration of sharkdom, in which he'll join experts from the Bimini Shark Lab "to get a crash course on everything ‘shark.’" Said crash course will include a hammerhead swimming two feet from his face.

Phelps previewed what viewers can expect with a post on his Instagram account earlier this week that showed a great white outside a shark cage and featured the hashtag #bucketlist.