Tommy Shardelow competed at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics, winning silver medals in 1952 in both the tandem sprint and team pursuit. Purely a track sprinter, he was a five-time South African sprint champion. He also won a bronze medal at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in the match sprint, also competing that year, without a medal, in the 10-mile scratch event. Shardelow won 12 South African titles on the track as follows: quarter-mile - 1951-52, 1956; mile - 1953; match sprint - 1950-51, 1953-54, 1956; and the tandem sprint - 1952-54. He also added 13 Southern Transvaal titles, winning the quarter-mile in 1950 and 1953; the half-mile in 1952 and 1956; the mile in 1949-52; the match sprint in 1950, 1952, and 1954; and the 10-mile in 1953-54. Shardelow retired in 1973 after winning the match sprint at the South African Multi-National Games.
Date of birth is uncertain. Commonwealth Games data also has a DOB of 30 November 1931, but multiple sources confirm the DOB listed above.