By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships
August 17-20, 2026 UBC Aquatic Centre, Vancouver, Canada LCM 50 Meters Event Page Live Results Psych Sheets Live Stream Recaps Prelims: Day 1 Finals: Day 1American swimmer Luka Mijatovic has broken the 17-18 National Age Group Record in the boys’ 800 meter freestyle.
Swimming in the first finals session of the 2026 Junior Pan Pac Championships in Vancouver, Mijatovic dropped a 7:44.52. That won the race by about 7.5 seconds.
It also broke Luke Whitlock‘s 17-18 National Age Group Record of 7:45.19 done at the 2024 US Olympic Trials when he was 18. That swim earned Whitlock a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.
Splits Comparison:
Luka Mijatovic Luka Mijatovic Luke Whitlock Previous PB New 17-18 NAG Record Previous 17-18 NAG Record 100m 54.85 56.01 55.51 200m 58.83 58.98 58.05 300m 59.57 58.99 58.36 400m 59.68 59.37 58.46 500m 59.79 58.54 58.80 600m 59.24 58.70 58.97 700m 58.62 58.24 59.12 800m 55.99 55.69 57.92 Total Time 7:46.57 7:44.52 7:45.19Mijatovic dropped about two seconds off his previous personal best, and most of that came in the back half of the swim. His 55.69 split over the last 100 meters was more than two seconds better than the time that Whitlock closed his previous record-setting race with and what pulled him well ahead of record pace.
Mijatovic was 2.47 seconds faster over the last 400 meters in this swim than he was in his previous personal best, which is larger than the time drop.
Whitlock’s swim is the fastest-ever by a 17-year-old globally. The previous best according to Nuoto Mondiale at that age was a 7:45.12 done by Turkish swimmer Kuzey Tuncelli last year.
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.
His time makes him the 6th-fastest American at any age and would have earned bronze at Pan Pacs last week.
Top 8 Americans All-Time, Men’s 800 LCM Freestyle
Bobby Finke, 7:38.67 (2023) Ryan Erisman, 7:43.53 (2026) Michael McBroom, 7:43.60 (2013) Zane Grothe, 7:43.74 (2018) Connor Jaeger, 7:44.26 (2013) Luka Mijatovic, 7:44.52 (2026) (TIE) Jordan Wilimovsky, 7:45.19 (2018) Luke Whitlock, 7:45.19 (2024)Globally he is now #36 all-time in the event.
Mijatovic’s 800 free was his 2nd swim of the session. 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. Mijatovic was 1:45.92 last year, faster than the 17-18 National Age Group Record, when he was still 16.
He has remaining entries this week in the 100 free, 400 free, and 1500 free. Mijatovic already broke the 400 free National Age Group Record at US Nationals at 3:43.45.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Luka Mijatovic Becomes Fastest 17-Year-Old Ever in 800m Free, Breaks US 17-18 Age Group Record
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