Less Than a Month Separated Luka Mijatovic From Iconic Age-Group Record
When Luka Mijatovic cracked the 15-minute barrier in the 1500-meter freestyle for the first time on Wednesday night, the rising freestyle star just missed breaking one of the most iconic age-group records in the sport. The 17-year-old Mijatovic was timed in 14:59.27 while racing on the opening day of action at the TYR Pro Series stop in Sacramento, a mark that made him the No. 4 performer in American history in the 17-18 age group.
The performance from Mijatovic arrived less than a month after he turned 17, which meant he narrowly fell short of breaking the 15-16 National Age Group (NAG) record of Bobby Hackett. The Hackett standard of 15:03.91 was posted nearly a half-century ago, when the American earned the silver medal in the 1500 freestyle at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. That race was won by the United States’ Brian Goodell.
While Mijatovic, who has committed to the University of Texas, has established himself most notably in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle, his effort in the 1500 freestyle showcased the reach of his talent. Only Larsen Jensen (14:45.29), Bobby Finke (14:48.70) and Luke Whitlock (14:53.00) have been faster than Mijatovic in the 17-18 age group.
Before moving up to the 17-18 classification, Mijatovic set 15-16 records in the 200 freestyle (1:45.92), 400 freestyle (3:45.30) and 800 freestyle (7:48.28). His times in the 200 free and 400 free are already faster than the 17-18 records.