U.S. Open, Day Four Finals (Men’s): Luka Mijatovic Blasts 15-16 NAG Record in 800 Free Win
Hungarian star Hubert Kos will conclude what has been a brilliant fall season Saturday evening in Austin, Texas, when he races as the top seed in a pair of finals at the U.S. Open. Kos will begin with the 200 backstroke, an event he has dominated internationally since 2023, and he will conclude with a showdown in the 200 butterfly against Olympic champion Leon Marchand and Olympic bronze medalist Ilya Kharun.
Additionally, Bobby Finke will race in the 800 freestyle while Kharun will try to hold off Caeleb Dressel in the 50 backstroke. A 100 free showdown is brewing between Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano after both sprint standouts clocked 47-second performances in prelims.
Men’s 800 Freestyle
Days after lowering his own National Age Group record in the men’s 400 free, Luka Mijatovic had another stellar performance in store for the 800-meter event. Racing against the likes of Tokyo Olympic champion Bobby Finke, Mijatovic dominated the race and blasted his previous best time of 7:53.80 by five seconds. The Pleasanton Seahawks swimmer hit the wall in 7:48.28. He had been on the verge of taking down Larsen Jensen’s 800-meter 15-16 NAG record of 7:52.05, but here he utterly clobbered the mark with a time of 7:48.28. In the process, Mijatovic became the second-quickest American swimmer this year behind Finke.
Uzbekistan’s Ilia Sibirtsev had the second-best time of the night in 7:51.85 while Indiana’s Luke Whitlock claimed third in 7:54.66. Whitlock, who posted his time out of the early heats, was the second-place finisher in the event at the 2024 Olympic Trials. Carson Foster, fresh off a dominant effort in the 400 IM Saturday, placed fourth (7:55.51) while Finke ended up fifth (7:57.68).
Men’s 50 Butterfly
Men’s 200 Backstroke
Men’s 200 Breaststroke
Men’s 100 Freestyle
Men’s 200 Butterfly
