Swimming

13-Year-Old Luka Mijatovic Swims 4 More Personal Best at Orinda Senior Open

February 3, 2023

2023 Orinda Aquatics Senior Open

January 28-29, 2023
Moraga, California
25 yards (short course yards), timed finals
Full Meet Results

13-year old swimming wunderkind Luka Mijatovic continued his tear through age group swimming last weekend at the 2023 Orinda Aquatics Senior Open in Moraga, California.

The still-13-year-old Mijatovic posted new best times in the 50 free, 100 breast, 200 breast, and 100 fly, and picked up a pair of wins in the open-age field.

Mijatovic’s results:

50 free – 22.45, 10th place (PB, -.11)
100 free – 48.06, 5th place
100 back – 53.72, 4th place
200 back – 1:54.87, 1st place
100 breast, 1:01.59, 8th place (PB, -.40)
200 breast, 2:11.81, 3rd place (PB, -2.19)
100 fly, 52.03, 4th place (PB, -.83)
200 fly, 1:57.25, 1st place

The meet is Mijatovic’s 2nd since he broke the 13-14 National Age Group Record in the 500 free in December, swimming 4:24.72 at a Sectionals meet. He hasn’t raced that event since.

Mijatovic turns 14 in April and has another full year to continue chasing National Age Group Records in this age group.

Mijatovic wasn’t the only 13-year-old to win a race at the meet. Stella Canoles from Orinda Aquatics won the girls’ 50 free in 24.63.

While that wasn’t a personal best time, her swims in the 100 back (1:01.94) and 200 IM (2:17.92) were. Both events are secondary for her, so the results show improving versatility.

Other Meet Highlights

High school junior and Cal commit Adriana Smith from Orinda Aquatics won four of her five events, including a season-best of 1:54.07 in the 200 free.
Harvard commit Stephanie Iannaccone from the Walnut Creek Aquabears, who was 2nd behind Canoles in the 50 free, won her only other event, the 100 fly, in a season-best of 55.96.
12-year-old Aiden Zhou of the Santa Clara Swim Club swam best times in the 50 free (23.82), 100 back (57.26), and 200 back (2:01.78) – where he finished in 8th place. That 200 back time places him in the top 100 all-time in the age group, and ranks him 3rd nationally this season.

SwimSwam: 13-Year-Old Luka Mijatovic Swims 4 More Personal Best at Orinda Senior Open