Luka Mijatovic Lowers 17-18 NAG Record in 500 Freestyle
Beginning next semester, Luka Mijatovic will take his dynamic mid-distance freestyle skills to the University of Texas, where he is set to contribute to a team favored to win a third consecutive national title. In the meantime, Mijatovic continues to excel at club-level competition, most recently firing off a National Age Group record in the 500 free at a local meet over the weekend.
At the Pleasanton Seahawks Senior meet, Mijatovic swam a time of 4:06.37 to shatter the previous NAG mark, the 4:08.57 set by Luke Hobson in 2022, when Hobson was a freshman at the same university Mijatovic will soon represent. The time ranks as the 10th-quickest in history and ahead of the 4:06.56 that Florida’s Ahmed Hafnaoui swam to win the event at last year’s NCAA Championships.
However, the time is not Mijatovic’s lifetime best; he previously swam as fast as 4:05.76 last spring, a mark which stands as the NAG mark in the 15-16 age group and ranks Mijatovic third all-time in the event. The only swimmers to ever go quicker are Leon Marchand and Rex Maurer, both soon to become Mijatovic’s training partners.
In addition to his 500 free performance, Mijatovic swam a lifetime best in the 400 IM over the weekend, going 3:39.55 for his first-ever sub-3:40 performance. While Mijatovic specializes in freestyle, he should score medley points on the conference and national level for Texas this spring. Additionally, Mijatovic swam a best time of 1:42.75 in the 200 backstroke as well as marks of 1:34.19 in the 200 free, 1:43.78 in the 200 fly and 43.71 in the 100 free.
Mijatovic has become one of the top young swimmers in the country in recent seasons. He qualified for the senior-level World Championships last summer, although illness derailed his chances at success in Singapore. However, he quickly bounced back to put together a successful 2026-27 season, which culminated with six gold medals at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships and a monster time of 3:43.45 in the 400-meter free, which ranked him No. 7 in the world for 2026.