A 16-year-old high school student has announced himself to the sports world by breaking a swimming record previously held by Olympic legend Michael Phelps.
American Phelps is the most successful Olympian in history, having won 28 medals including 23 golds in the pool.
But Team USA could have a new swimming sensation by the 2028 Games in Los Angeles after Luka Mijatovic made history at the 2025 US National Championships.
The 16-year-old, from Pleasanton, California , finished fourth in his heat in the 200m freestyle. But his time of 1:45.92 was the fastest ever time by a swimmer aged 16 and under.
He beat the previous best (1:47.29) by nearly two seconds and also broke Phelps’ record for the 17-18 age group (1:45.99) by seven hundredths of a second.
Mijatovic is one of the hottest prospects in the United States. He is already the No 1 ranked high-school swimmer in California and second nationwide.
Luka Mijatovic made history at the US Nationals, breaking a record held by Michael Phelps
The 16-year-old, from Pleasanton, California, finished his 200m freestyle heat in 1:45.92
Phelps is the most successful Olympian in history, having won 28 medals including 23 golds
He recently dominated his rivals at the California State Championship, winning both the 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle.
The 16-year-old is also ranked No 1 for the class of 2027. Mijatovic is currently slated to graduate high school just a year before the Olympics returns to the United States.
Phelps, now 39, competed in five Olympic Games, starting with Sydney in 2000. His haul of 23 gold medals is more than double the next-most successful Olympians.
Phelps’ fellow American swimmer Katie Ledecky is one of a number of athletes who have won nine gold medals.
