U.S. Nationals: Luka Mijatovic Annihilates 15-16 NAG Record in 200 Free, Now Targeting 400 and 800
While he has been shattering National Age Group records in the 15-16 age group the past two years and for 13-14 boys before that, Luka Mijatovic seemed to be a year or two away from breaking onto the senior national team. His highest finish at last year’s Olympic Trials was 12th in the 400 freestyle, and after winning gold in the eight-lap at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships last August, reaching finals in the longer distance events seemed like a reasonable goal for this year’s Nationals.
Well, Mijatovic took care of that obstacle in his opening swim of the meet. The final heat of the men’s 200 free included Olympic bronze medalist and short course world champion Luke Hobson as well as Olympians Shaine Casas and Brooks Curry and accomplished collegians Rex Maurer and Gabriel Jett. Mijatovic sat in seventh place through 150 meters, but he covered the final length in 26.63, faster than anyone else in the event. He picked off his competitors on the way to a fourth-place finish in the heat and the fourth-best time of the morning.
Mijatovic clocked 1:45.92, wrecking his previous best time of 1:47.96 by more than two seconds. He also blasted through the 15-16 National Age Group record, knocking 1.37 seconds from the previous top time of 1:47.29 posted by Maximus Williamson in 2023, and the mark is ahead of the 17-18 record of 1:45.99, which belongs to Michael Phelps.
Seeded 19th entering the meet, Mijatovic quickly put himself in the conversation for a World Championships appearance, with extra spots available in the 200 free for relay purposes. In the final, the teenager could not keep pace with the speed of Hobson and the other swimmers at least four years older than him, and he ended up eighth in 1:46.39. He was slower than his prelims swim but still a huge distance ahead of his best time entering the meet and nine tenths clear of what had been the NAG record entering the day.
Even though he came up a bit short in the 200, Mijatovic has chances remaining to reach Worlds in the remaining longer freestyle events. If he has improved two seconds in the 200 free, could he drop three or even four seconds over 400 meters? Doing so would put Mijatovic around 3:45, and note that the top-seeded time entering the meet belongs to Aaron Shackell at 3:45.45. He is also seeded to swim in the final heat of the 800 free, with an entry time less than seven seconds away from second-seeded David Johnston.
With two further races to come, this initial NAG record and national final appearance could be just the beginning of a breakout meet for Mijatovic.
