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Tom Shields, 2nd Fastest 200 Butterflyer in History Behind Michael Phelps

Video coverage presented by A3 Performance

Men’s 200 Fly via Keith Report

Tom Shields swam the third-fastest 200 yard butterfly in history on Saturday with a 1:40.20, bettering his own personal best by about a tenth of a second. In the FINA World Cup series he did some great work on his finish and that showed up here with a four-second win.

Only Michael Phelps has been faster in the race, and though Shields is expected to rejoin the Cal lineup in January, this swim will probably not count as the NCAA record. That’s because he’s taking the semester off and is not officially representing Cal at this meet.

In 2nd was Denver Swim Academy senior Clark Smith in 1:44.58. The Texas Longhorn legacy, who has committed to swim collegiately in this pool next season for Eddie Reese, has been swimming beyond expectations all weekend long. That time was two-and-a-half seconds faster than his best coming into the meet – vital for the Longhorns who need to seriously beef up the depth in their butterfly group.

Arizona’s Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or was 3rd in 1:44.80, followed by his teammate Matthew Barber in 1:45.39. NCAP’s Andrew Seliskar, who set a breaststroke NAG Record earlier in this meet, was 5th in 1:45.44. That’s the second-best time in 15-16 age group history, though still three seconds behind the legendary Mr. Phelps.

FOLLOW Tom Shields on Twitter, aka BeefyTShields, here. 

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11 years ago

I’m cheering for the big man! Seems a class act, from a family of class acts.

s gomez
11 years ago

not gonna lie. shields look a lot like my sisters boyfriend. talks like him too. maybe we can orchestrate a trade? that would make my family happier. this clip has some good technical analysis for coaches and swimmers alike

11 years ago

How do you not love this guy? I am looking forward to all his swims leading up to and beyond RIO!.

Congrats Mr. Shields

AIA Swim
11 years ago

Great guy, great swimmer. Congrats Tom! #Ao1

11 years ago

This guy is showing huge potential since a while ! Specially on the world cup series …… Watch for him soon on long course …. big meets !

rjcid
Reply to  Jean-michel Blue
11 years ago

yeah – I think his decision is paying off. After seeing him at trials and then knowing he got tocuhed out in the 2fly at NCAAs, I figured he’d probably be a guy always on that cusp, it seems his body is maturing and his patience and persistence is breaking through. I can see Shields being a national team guy for a while.

rjcid
11 years ago

This guy keeps growing on me. I mean, I was at NCAAs for another site and was at the interview with him after he got 2nd in the 2fly. To my surprise, he is very aware of his body and how to maximize his swims. To me that shows he works his tail off and studies the game for maximum results

For example Piersol was always like “i don’t plan my swims, I just like, ya know, swim”. that is cool for maybe surfer people and skater kids, but not for a me, a fan of the technical aspects. Shields is always talking about his head position, rhythm, stroke, UP kicks and more. He could be a great coach someday,… Read more »

About Gold Medal Mel Stewart

Gold Medal Mel Stewart

MEL STEWART Jr., aka Gold Medal Mel, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Olympic Games. Mel's best event was the 200 butterfly. He is a former World, American, and NCAA Record holder in the 200 butterfly. As a writer/producer and sports columnist, Mel has contributed to Yahoo Sports, Universal Sports, …

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