Luka Mijatovic Beats His Own NAG Records in 500 & 1000 Freestyle

Luka Mijatovic -- Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

Luka Mijatovic Beats His Own NAG Records in 500 & 1000 Freestyle

Four days at Sectionals in Huntington Beach, Calif., four National Age Group records. After beating marks in the 1650 freestyle and 400 IM, 14-year-old Luka Mijatovic of the Pleasanton Seahawks surpassed his own record in the 500 freestyle and come extremely close to the NAG record for the 15-16 age group as well. One day later, Mijatovic was at it again in the 1000 free, smashing his previous record by almost nine seconds.

Mijatovic won the 500 free in 4:15.71, knocking 1.36 seconds from his previous mark of 4:17.07. He set the previous standard in early November, beating his existing mark (4:22.50) by more than five seconds. Mijatovic is now within a half-second of the NAG mark in the 15-16 age group, Drew Kibler’s 4:15.36 set back in 2016.

Finally, Mijatovic concluded his meet by swimming a time of 8:46.50 in the 1000 free, demolishing the 8:55.41 he swam in November. It was less than nine months ago that Mijatovic became the first swimmer in his age group to break 9:00 in the 40-lap race, beating a 10-year-old NAG record from Matthew Hirschberger in the process, and now he is 13.5 seconds under the barrier, with Hirschberger’s 15-16 mark of 8:45.11 within sight.

Notably, Mijatovic finished second in the 1000 behind Sandpipers’ Luke Ellis, whose time of 8:45.19 was just one-and-a-half seconds off the 17-18 NAG record of 8:43.66 owned by Luke Hobson.

When Mijatovic ages up next year, he will be in position to take a shot at the NAG marks in all three distance events, and these performances in the 5000 and 1000 hint that he could reach those marks quickly, even as he shifts his focus toward an Olympic Trials where he will try to become a rare 15-year-old male to qualify for a final.

In previous days at the meet, Mijatovic clocked 14:45.79 in the 1650 free, an amazing 15-second drop from his previous NAG record, and he went 3:49.32 in the 400 IM for his first NAG mark outside of freestyle. Mijatovic also won the 200 free in 1:36.30, and he finished fourth in the 200 IM (1:50.11).

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