Latest news with #Mijatovic
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Newcomers to watch at the 2025 World Swimming Championships
From Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh facing off in the 800m freestyle to Lilly King swimming the final race in her professional career, the 2025 World Swimming Championships will be filled with unforgettable races from some of swimming's most familiar faces. But it will also be filled with a whole new slate of young swimmers making their debut on the international stage and previewing what the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games might have in store. With the 2025 World Swimming Championships set to take place in Singapore beginning tomorrow, let's look at some of the rising American stars to keep an eye on throughout the meet. Nick Zaccardi, Campbell McKean 50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke Campbell McKean (mick-CANE) is a name you should expect to see all over the breaststroke events in the next few years. The 18-year-old from Bend, Oregon, made history at the U.S. Open when he became the first male swimmer 18 or under to break 59 seconds in the 100m breaststroke. McKean will be vying for a medal in the 100m breaststroke– as he is seeded fourth– but he shouldn't be overlooked in one of the newest Olympic races, the 50m breaststroke, in which he won the national title over veteran Michael Andrew this year. Caroline Bricker 200m butterfly Caroline Bricker, a rising junior at Stanford University, is set to make her debut on the international stage after shocking the crowd at the U.S. Open– and herself– as she won the national title in the 200m butterfly. Bricker, who was seeded seventh coming into the meet, unexpectedly surged past Olympic gold medalists Regan Smith and Alex Shackell on the final lap of the race, out-touching Smith at the wall and clocking a lifetime best that was nearly four seconds faster than her entry time. Bricker is coming into the World Championships as the fourth seed, but it would be no surprise if she ended up on the podium with a new lifetime best swim. Luka Mijatovic 400m freestyle Rising high school junior Luka Mijatovic (mee-YAH-duh-vitch) is set to be the youngest American male to compete at a World Championships since Michael Phelps in 2001. The 16-year-old finished second in the 400m freestyle at the U.S. Open behind Rex Maurer, shattering his own national age group record for 15-16-year-olds, while also swimming under the 17-18-year-old record. Mijatovic also broke the 200m freestyle record for 15-16-year-olds and swam faster than Michael Phelps' 17-18 record set in 2003. The World Championships will be the perfect opportunity for Mijatovic to get his foot in the door with swimming on an international stage. Mijatovic is seeded 11th in the 400m freestyle. McKenzie Siroky 50m breaststroke Three years ago, McKenzie Siroky (sir-OH-kee) was committed to play Division I hockey. Two years ago, she swam her first-ever long-course meet and qualified for the Olympic Trials. Now, she's competing in the 50m breaststroke at the World Swimming Championships against the best swimmers in the world. The best part is, Siroky even has a chance to end up on the podium, as she is seeded fifth, less than two-tenths of a second behind Olympic gold medalist King. For someone who has a unique story, Siroky had nothing short of a unique qualification for this meet. After tying Emma Weber for second in the finals of the U.S. Open, the two had a swim-off, where Siroky swam a lifetime best 30.05 to claim the spot. Siroky is just getting started, and she will be a name to keep an eye on as the 2028 Olympics near. Rex Maurer 400m freestyle, 400m IM, 4x200m freestyle relay Rex Maurer had one of the biggest breakthrough seasons in collegiate swimming history this year. After missing the finals by a landslide at the 2024 NCAA Championships in the 500y freestyle and 400y IM, Maurer was crowned NCAA champion in both events a year later. He then brought that momentum into the U.S. Open earlier this summer, swimming arguably the best meet of his career en route to qualifying for his first World Championships. Maurer became the third-fastest American in the 400m freestyle and broke the 17-year-old U.S. Open record while shattering his own personal best time by over three seconds. Maurer is seeded seventh in this event, but he ranks second in the world this season, only behind Germany's Lukas Martens. Maurer is seeded eighth in the 400m IM, standing as a strong contender to make the final and fight for a podium spot. Maurer will also swim a leg in the 4x200m freestyle relay. Gabriel Jett 200m freestyle While Gabriel Jett might be slightly older than the rest of the newcomers making their first World Championship appearances, he is not to be overlooked. The 22-year-old finished just behind Olympic bronze medalist Luke Hobson in the 200m freestyle at the U.S. Open to claim a spot on the World Championship team for the first time in his career. Jett is heading to Singapore as the fourth seed, just one hundredth of a second behind Great Britain's Matthew Richards, and is hoping to leave with some hardware. How to Watch 2025 World Swimming Championships The 2025 World Swimming Championships will stream on Peacock starting Saturday, July 26. ● Dates: July 26 - August 2 ● Venue: Singapore Sports Hub ● Streaming: Peacock
NBC Sports
08-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Luka Mijatovic youngest U.S. man since Michael Phelps to make world swimming championships
Luke Mijatovic is set to become the youngest U.S. male swimmer to compete at a World Championships since Michael Phelps in 2001. Mijatovic, who turned 16 on April 22, made the world team as runner-up in the 400m freestyle at the Toyota U.S. Championships on Friday night. He had to wait until the last day of nationals on Saturday for his place to become official due to roster limit rules. Mijatovic broke national age group records for 15- and 16-year-olds in the 200m and 400m frees at nationals. In both events, he also swam faster than the national age group records for 17- and 18-year-olds, including Michael Phelps' time in the 200m free from 2003. SWIMMING: Results Mijatovic, a rising high school junior from Pleasanton, California, was the second-youngest U.S. male swimmer at the 2024 Olympic Trials. His best finish at trials was 12th in the 400m free. He currently holds 14 individual national age group records combining 25-yard pools and 50-meter pools and the 13-14 and 15-16 divisions. Globally, Mijatovic holds the fastest 200m free time ever for somebody as young as him, according to World Aquatics' database. Romanian David Popovici, the Paris Olympic gold medalist, swam a faster time at an older 16. In the 400m free, only Australian legend Ian Thorpe has been faster at Mijatovic's age, according to World Aquatics. Nick Zaccardi,
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 U.S. Nationals: 16-year-old swimmer Luka Mijatovic sets two new records with historic 400m freestyle
Luka Mijatovic continues to set records at the U.S. Nationals. (Photo by) Luka Mijatovic continues to turn heads at the U.S. Nationals. A few days after breaking a record previously set by Michael Phelps, the 16-year-old Mijatovic was at it again Friday. This time around, Mijatovic decided to break his own record in the 400m freestyle. Mijatovic turned in a 3:45.89 performance, beating his previous record — which he set in March — by three seconds. That time not only set a new record for the 15-16 age group, but also broke a record for the 17-18 age group. Larsen Jensen previously held the record in the 17-18 age group with a 3:46.08 that he set in 2004. Advertisement Mijatovic accomplished the same feat Wednesday in the 200m freestyle. He swam the event in 1:45.92, breaking the record in the 15-16 age group. That figure also broke the record in the 17-18 age group, which was previously held by Phelps. The sky appears to be the limit for Mijatovic, who is considered the top high-school swimmer in California. Mijatovic was already a name to watch for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. His performance at the U.S. Nationals — which began Tuesday — further solidified his status as an Olympic-hopeful. The 2025 U.S. Swimming Championships will run through Saturday at the Indiana University Natatorium. A number of Americans, including Katie Ledecky and Bobby Finke, have turned in fantastic performances at the event. Winners of individual events will qualify for the World Championships in July and August.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 U.S. Nationals: 16-year-old swimmer Luka Mijatovic sets two new records with historic 400m freestyle
Luka Mijatovic continues to set records at the U.S. Nationals. (Photo by) Luka Mijatovic continues to turn heads at the U.S. Nationals. A few days after breaking a record previously set by Michael Phelps, the 16-year-old Mijatovic was at it again Friday. This time around, Mijatovic decided to break his own record in the 400m freestyle. Mijatovic turned in a 3:45.89 performance, beating his previous record — which he set in March — by three seconds. That time not only set a new record for the 15-16 age group, but also broke a record for the 17-18 age group. Larsen Jensen previously held the record in the 17-18 age group with a 3:46.08 that he set in 2004. Advertisement Mijatovic accomplished the same feat Wednesday in the 200m freestyle. He swam the event in 1:45.92, breaking the record in the 15-16 age group. That figure also broke the record in the 17-18 age group, which was previously held by Phelps. The sky appears to be the limit for Mijatovic, who is considered the top high-school swimmer in California. Mijatovic was already a name to watch for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. His performance at the U.S. Nationals — which began Tuesday — further solidified his status as an Olympic-hopeful. The 2025 U.S. Swimming Championships will run through Saturday at the Indiana University Natatorium. A number of Americans, including Katie Ledecky and Bobby Finke, have turned in fantastic performances at the event. Winners of individual events will qualify for the World Championships in July and August.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
2025 U.S. Nationals: 16-year-old swimmer Luka Mijatovic breaks 200m freestyle age group record held by Michael Phelps
There's still three years before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, but 16-year-old swimmer Luka Mijatovic is already turning some heads. Mijatovic broke a record previously held by Michael Phelps at the 2025 U.S. Nationals on Wednesday. Mijatovic posted a 200-meter freestyle time of 1:45.92. That figure shattered the previous record for the 15-16 age group, which was 1:47.29. If that weren't impressive enough, Mijatovic's time also set the record for the 17-18 age group, which was previously held by Michael Phelps, who posted a 1:45.99 time Any time a swimmer can best Phelps, it's going to get attention. Phelps is one of the greatest swimmers — and one of the most accomplished Olympians — of all-time. He won a total of 28 medals at the games, and holds numerous Olympic records for his excellence. Advertisement Mijatovic is already building an impressive resume. He placed first in both the 500-yard Free and 200-yard free events at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championships in May. He's considered one of the top high school swimmers in the United States and ranks first among high school swimmers in California. The 2025 U.S. Swimming Championships began Tuesday, and saw a number of Americans, including Katie Ledecky, Torri Huske and Bobby Finke turn in some excellent performances. The event — which is being held at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis — will run through Saturday. Winners of each individual event will qualify for the World Championships, which will be held in Singapore in July and August.
