Luka Mijatovic Overtakes Ryan Erisman in Electric 400 Freestyle Battle, Crushes NAG Record With 3:43.45
Two up-and-coming mid-distance freestylers went head-to-head in the men’s 400 freestyle final at U.S. Nationals Friday evening. Ryan Erisman, a 20-year-old coming off a strong freshman year at Cal, had been on a stellar run this summer, clocking 3:44.03 in the 400 free in May before winning national titles in the 200 free and 400 IM. Here, though, Luka Mijatovic upstaged Erisman with an incredible final length. The result was one of the quickest swims ever by an 18-and-under swimmer.
The two swimmers swam well ahead of the field the entire way. Erisman led by three tenths at the halfway point before opening up a lead of two-thirds of a second by the 300-meter mark. Mijatovic was not done yet, though. On the final length, he kicked into overdrive, pulling even with Erisman halfway down the length and eventually ahead in the closing strokes.
Fueled by his 27.53 split coming home, Mijatovic hit the wall in 3:43.45, almost a second clear of Erisman’s 3:44.39. Mijatovic crushed his previous personal best and 17-18 National Age Group record of 3:45.20, and he became the fifth-fastest swimmer in the world this year behind Australia’s Sam Short, China’s Zhang Zhanshuo and the German duo of Lukas Martens and Oliver Klemet.
Additionally, Mijatovic now ranks as the fifth-fastest American ever, sitting within seven tenths of the American record of 3:42.78 set by Larsen Jensen in 2008. Peter Vanderkaay, Rex Maurer and Conor Dwyer are the others with quicker times. Mijatovic’s time surpassed the listed world junior record, but it ranks behind the 3:42.82 Zhang swam during his final months of junior-level eligibility last year.
Erisman placed second in 3:44.39, just off his best time from two months earlier but still a great result given that he had never broken 3:46 prior to this year. Erisman now ranks sixth in the world this year and eighth all-time among Americans.
Mijatovic and Erisman had posted the top-two times in prelims, but it originally appeared as though they would race in separate heats at night, with Erisman in the championship final but Mijatovic in the heat specifically designated for swimmers eligible for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships. However, Mijatovic had already secured his spot at Junior Pan Pacs, allowing him to race in the A heat. That turned out to be a great decision as Erisman pushed Mijatovic to a huge time drop.
Third here went to Will Mulgrew in 3:47.88, well off the pace of the top-two but still a three-second drop from his best time prior to the meet. Sean Green and Aiden Hammer were the others to crack 3:50 in the final.
