Luka Mijatovic Rips NAG Record in 500-Yard Freestyle; Performance is Legendary in Nature
Teenage standout Luka Mijatovic was once again in record-breaking mode on Saturday night, while racing at the Speedo Sectionals in Roseville, California. And the performance produced by the 16-year-old member of Team USA can be argued as one of the finest in National Age Group (NAG) record history.
Competing in the 500-yard freestyle, Mijatovic clocked a stunning time of 4:05.76, an effort that sliced nearly three seconds off his prior 15-16 NAG record of 4:08.57. The outing also made Mijatovic the No. 3 performer in the history of the event, trailing only Leon Marchand (4:02.31) and Rex Maurer (4:04.45). In addition to bettering the 15-16 age-group standard, Mijatovic’s time was considerably faster than the 17-18 NAG record in the 500 freestyle, which belongs to Luke Hobson at 4:08.42.
En route to his latest record, Mijatovic covered the opening 100 yards in 46.88 and turned in a split of 1:37.12. He went through the 300-yard mark in 2:27.50 and touched at the 400-yard point in 3:17.09. Mijatovic splits 24s for all but two of his lengths and he closed in 24.07. Both times that are faster than Mijatovic’s 4:05 were recorded during collegiate competition. Marchand posted his time at the 2024 NCAA Championships while Maurer managed his mark at the 2024 Texas Invitational.
A junior in high school, Mijatovic has committed to compete collegiately at the University of Texas, which means training with Marchand and Maurer is on the horizon.