2024 JUNIOR PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
BOYS 400 FREESTYLE – FINALS
- World Junior Record: 3:44.31– Petar Mitsin, BUL (2023)
- Meet Record: 3:48.36– Joshua Staples, AUS (2022)
- All Comers Record: 3:40.54– Ian Thorpe, AUS (2002)
RESULTS:
- Luka Mijatovic (USA) – 3:49.24
- Asaki Nishikawa (Japan) – 3:51.28
- Aiden Hammer (USA) – 3:52.06
- Kazushi Imafuku (Japan) – 3:52.71
- Tex Cross (Australia) – 3:53.63
- Simon Fonseca Florez (Canada) – 3:55.47
- Lucas Fackerell (Australia) – 3:58.35
- Ignacio Stambuk (Argentina) – 3:58.56
Continuing his exceptional meet in Canberra, Australia, 15-year-old American Luka Mijatovic posted a huge career best en route to winning gold in the boys 400 freestyle tonight. Though the swim was off the meet record of 3:48.36, Mijatovic’s final time of 3:49.24 was his first time under 3:50 in the event. On top of that, he blew away the long-standing US National Age Group Record for 15-16 boys in the event.
At just 15, Mijatovic took more than a second off Larsen Jensen’s NAG of 3:50.68, which was set back at the 2002 Summer Nationals. He swam a phenomenal race, getting out to a 1:54.43 on the opening 200m, then came home in 1:54.81 on the back half. He won the race by a little over 2 seconds as the youngest swimmer in the field.
Here is a breakdown of Mijatovic’s splits in the race tonight:
| Splits | Luka Mijatovich – 2024 Junior Pac Pacs Final |
| 50m | 26.90 |
| 100m | 55.77 (28.87) |
| 150m | 1:25.13 (29.36) |
| 200m | 1:54.43 (29.30) |
| 250m | 2:23.65 (29.22) |
| 300m | 2:52.86 (29.21) |
| 350m | 3:21.64 (28.78) |
| 400m | 3:49.24 (27.60) |
| FINAL TIME | 3:49.24 |
As the splits show, Mijatovic was fully in control of the race from start to finish. He split 55.77, 58.66, 58.43, and 56.38 respectively by 100.
The performance for Mijatovic comes after he moved up to #3 all-time for US 15-16 boys in the 200 free on the first day of the meet. Mijatovic swam a 1:47.96 there. He also posted a new career best of 7:56.91 in the 800 free on the same day.
Larsen Jensen would go on from 2002 to earn the bronze medal in the 400 free at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and earn silver in the 1500 free in Beijing in 2008. Following his storied swimming career, Jensen became a Navy SEAL, serving in the US military for 6 years.
