Former Edison High swim standout Tom Shields is bound for Rio Olympics

Tom Shields’ star shone brightly when he swam at Edison High and UC Berkeley. Now, it’s glowing even brighter after his third trip to the U.S. Olympic Trials.

On the night of June 29 in Omaha, Neb., Shields finished second to the most-decorated U.S. Olympian of all-time, Michael Phelps, in the men’s 200-meter butterfly to qualify for his first Olympic Games.

The Summer Olympic Games are Aug. 5 through 21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Shields finished the race in 1 minute 55.81 seconds. Phelps, the world record holder in the event, won in 1:54.84.

Three nights later at CenturyLink Center, Shields rallied to finish second to Phelps in the 100 butterfly to qualify for the Rio Games in his second individual event, and also qualified in the 400 medley relay.

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A fast-charging Shields, who was in seventh place in the final turn of the 100 butterfly, went on to finish second in 51.20. Phelps, a five-time Olympian, held on to win the event in 51-seconds flat.

Shields couldn’t be reached for comment. His high school coach at Edison, Diggy Riley, is thrilled for Shields’ successes.

“Watching Tom succeed at Cal really solidified my feelings that he could be an Olympian,” Riley said. “However, when the Olympic Trials only select the top two places by event, you are racing against the best of the best.

“It is exciting as an ex-coach of Tom’s, to follow him over these next few months.”

Shields, a 2009 Edison graduate, had a distinguished prep career.

At Edison, he had set records for the boys’ swimming program in the 200-yard freestyle (1:33.83, which also had set the national high school record), 50 free (20.56), 100 fly (47.55), 100 free (44.54), 500 free (4:26.52), and as part of the 200 free relay (1.26.41) and 400 free relay (3:05.27) teams. He was a four-time CIF Southern Section champion in the boys’ 200-free (setting a new national record time in 2009) and two-time champion in the boys’ 100-butterfly. He was named the 2009 National High School Swimmer of the Year.

Shields went on to attend and graduate from Cal. During his career as a Golden Bear, the All-American swimmer left the Cal men’s program as the record holder in the 200 free, 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly (NCAA champion), 200 butterfly (NCAA champion and NCAA, American, Pac-10/12 Conference record times), and as part of Cal’s 400 free (Pac-10/12 Conference record) and 800 free relay teams. He also had tied Phelps’ record time (1:39.65) in the 200 butterfly.

Shields won five individual NCAA titles and six NCAA relay titles while competing (2010-13) for the Golden Bears, who won the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Division 1 Championships in 2011 and 2012.

Shields made his first appearance at an Olympic Trials in 2008, and also was in the 2012 trials. He holds the American short course records in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter butterfly.

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