14-Year Old Lana Pudar Swims 59.8 in Women’s 100 Fly in Bosnia & Herzogovina

Winter Championships, Bosnia & Herzogovina

• December 26, 2020
• Sarajevo, BIH
• 50 meter (Long Course Meter) pool
• Meet Results

17-year old Jovan Lekic has broken the Bosnia & Herzogovina Record in the men’s 200 freestyle.

Swimming in a one-day meet on Saturday, Lekic posted a 1:50.04 in the 200 long course meter freestyle, his only swim of the event. For the 17-year old, that not only cut more than 6 seconds off his previous lifetime best of 1:56.46, it broke the old National Record of Marko Kovacic that was set in 1:50.67 in June of last year.

Kovacic too was just a teenager when he set that record.

Kovacic was at this meet but swam only one event, the 100 back, which he won in 59.49 – about 1.7 seconds short of his best time. He broke the National Short Course Meters Record in the 100 back 2 weeks earlier.

Primarily known as a distance freestyler and butterflier previously, Lekic is already the National Record holder in the 200 fly in long course thanks to a 2:05.34 that he swam in December of 2019, in addition to 800 free (8:03.55), 1500 free (15:05.66), and 200 fly (1:57.58) national records in short course.

Lekic also won the 50 fly on Saturday in a best time of 25.20, knocking half-a-second off his previous best swim.

Also at the meet, Lana Pudar swam a 27.20 in the women’s 50 fly, which likewise broke a National Record. The old mark of 27.26 was set by Amina Kajtaz in 2017. Katjaz still holds the 100 and 200 fly records in long course, plus the 200 fly in short course, but the 14-year old Pudar has now half (50scm fly, 100scm fly, 50lcm fly) of those butterfly national records.

Pudar swam that record out of the age group event. She also broke the national junior records (14 & under and 16 & under) in the 100 fly, swimming 59.84. For comparison, that would rank as the 6th-fastest among American 13-14s in history.

Kajtaz was Bosnia & Herzogovina’s top finisher in pool swimming at last year’s World Championships, placing 22nd in the 100 fly (59.08) and 23rd in the 200 fly (2:13.70). Kajtaz’s time from Worlds in the 100 fly is an Olympic “B” qualifying time, meaning that Pudar would likely have to undercut that 59.0, at least, to earn a spot at the Olympics in a butterfly event next summer.