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.
Got to see Mijatovic compete back in January… Watching his 500 (he went only 4:26…as a 13 year old…) and then thinking about how high his ceiling will be, especially once the dude can really add power to his ridiculous aerobic base, great to see the kid continue to crush.
4:24 in the 5free as a 13 year old is just ridiculous.
I won states as a 12 year old in that event many moons ago and was 5:12!!! He almost lapped me twice. Sheesh
Considering he went 4:07 LCM during summer, If you add 5 months worth of improvement on top of that, that kind of result was kinda predictable, as absurd as it was.
Not entirely predictable. Kids handle growth differently. I have a 13 who has grown 8” in the last year and his strength hasn’t kept up with his lanky frame so times are lagging.