Luka Mijatovic Breaks US 17-18 Age Group Record in 800m Free
American swimmer Luka Mijatovic has broken the 17-18 National Age Group Record in the boys' 800 meter freestyle at the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Vancouver, Canada.
Luka Mijatovic has made a significant splash in the swimming world by breaking the 17-18 National Age Group Record in the boys' 800 meter freestyle at the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Vancouver, Canada.
Mijatovic dropped a 7:44.52 in the event, winning the race by about 7.5 seconds. This impressive performance not only broke the record but also showcased his exceptional skill and endurance in the water.
A comparison of Mijatovic's splits reveals that he negative-split the race by 2.2 seconds, with a 55.69 split over the last 100 meters being more than two seconds better than the time that Luke Whitlock closed his previous record-setting race with.
Mijatovic's time is also noteworthy as it makes him the 6th-fastest American at any age in the event. He would have earned bronze at Pan Pacs last week with this time.
### Splits Comparison
| Splits | Time | | --- | --- | | Front Half | 3:53.35 | | Back Half | 3:51.17 | | Total | 7:44.52 |
Mijatovic's achievement is all the more impressive when compared to other notable swimmers. Luke Whitlock's swim is the fastest-ever by a 17-year-old globally, with the previous best being a 7:45.12 done by Turkish swimmer Kuzey Tuncelli last year. Italian Lorenzo Galossi swam 7:43.37 at 16 in 2022, but hasn't been faster since.
The fastest 18 & under swim in history is a 7:39.16 done by Australian legend Ian Thorpe in 2001, which at the time was a World Record.
Mijatovic's time also makes him globally the #36 all-time in the event.
### Top 8 Americans All-Time, Men's 800 LCM Freestyle
| Rank | Swimmer | Time | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Bobby Finke | 7:38.67 (2023) | | 2 | Ryan Erisman | 7:43.53 (2026) | | 3 | Michael McBroom | 7:43.60 (2013) | | 4 | Zane Grothe | 7:43.74 (2018) | | 5 | Connor Jaeger | 7:44.26 (2013) | | 6 | Luka Mijatovic | 7:44.52 (2026) | | 7 | Jordan Wilimovsky | 7:45.19 (2018) | | 8 | Luke Whitlock | 7:45.19 (2024) |
Mijatovic's impressive performance is not a one-off. He also won gold in the 200 free final in 1:46.04, which matched his time from US Nationals and was .05 seconds shy of Michael Phelps' National Age Group Record in the event.
