Luka Mijatovic, Ian Call Lower 13-14 National Age Group Records at Junior Nationals

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Luka Mijatovic, Ian Call Lower 13-14 National Age Group Records at Junior Nationals

A National Age Group record that lasted 43 years is no more after a brilliant swim from Luke Mijatovic at U.S. Junior Nationals in Irvine, Calif. Mijatovic, who has already lowered NAG records in the 200, 400 and 800 free this summer, finished third in the boys’ 1500 freestyle Monday evening in 15:27.38, and in the process, he broke Jesse Vassallo’s 1976 NAG record of 15:31.03. That record was the oldest NAG mark remaining in the United States.

Mijatovic had been just over one second off that mark when he swam a time of 15:32.18 at U.S. Nationals last month, finishing 22nd in the process. The swimmer representing the Pleasanton Seahawks split 31-low to mid across most of his 50-meter segments of the race, maintaining the consistency he needed to lower the mark.

Splits:

 3 Luka Mijatovic   14 Pleasanton Seaha 15:32.18   15:27.38   828   16  
    r:+0.61  27.16        57.11 (29.95)
        1:27.69 (30.58)     1:58.35 (30.66)
        2:29.16 (30.81)     3:00.40 (31.24)
        3:31.50 (31.10)     4:02.59 (31.09)
        4:33.57 (30.98)     5:04.87 (31.30)
        5:36.10 (31.23)     6:07.38 (31.28)
        6:38.57 (31.19)     7:09.68 (31.11)
        7:40.73 (31.05)     8:11.96 (31.23)
        8:43.02 (31.06)     9:14.35 (31.33)
        9:45.28 (30.93)    10:16.54 (31.26)
       10:47.70 (31.16)    11:19.03 (31.33)
       11:50.39 (31.36)    12:21.92 (31.53)
       12:53.35 (31.43)    13:24.99 (31.64)
       13:56.06 (31.07)    14:27.28 (31.22)
       14:57.88 (30.60)    15:27.38 (29.50)

The man whose record he broke, Vassallo, went on to win a trio of world titles two years later in the 200 backstroke, 200 IM and 400 IM and went on to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in 1984. Mijatovic will race in the 200, 400 and 800 free as well as the 400 IM later in the week.

Also breaking a NAG record on day one was Ian Call in the 13-14 boys’ 100 breaststroke. Representing the Memphis Thunder, Call lowered Reece Whitley’s 2014 record of 1:03.23, first in prelims with his 13th-place time of 1:02.64 and again at night when he went 1:02.22 for 10th overall. Call knocked a whopping one-and-a-half seconds off his lifetime best of 1:03.78 entering the day.

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