Luka Mijatovic: 3:40.96 400 IM

In December Luka Mijatovic was just off of his 15-16 National Age Group Record in the 400 IM. This month Kevin Kinel breaks down the phenom's race from Speedo Sectionals in Walnut.

Race Analysis by Kevin Kinel

The short course 400 IM is all about efficiency of each stroke and utilizing the walls and Luka's swim is a masterclass. His fly opens with a controlled 1.1 tempo and 1.9m per stroke—fast, but energy-conscious. On backstroke, a 1.6 tempo and 2.5m distance per cycle show he’s built to bring it back strong. In the graph below you can see the straight-line consistency in both strokes: steady tempo, minimal falloff, and smooth speed into the walls.

Underwaters? Rock solid—holding 9m off fly and just under 8m on back to minimize surface strokes.

His breaststroke pullouts are textbook, and he smartly increases tempo over the last 50 (1.6 → 1.53) without losing distance per stroke. Freestyle? Same story. He keeps a clean 1.4 tempo with 2.7m DPC and maintains 5–6m off every wall—finishing just as sharp as he started.

It’s not just fast—it’s efficient. That straight line through all four strokes tells the whole story.

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