About the U23 European Athletics Championships

The European U23 Athletics Championships were first held in 1997 to ease the transition between U20 and senior level.

The first edition of the championship was held in Turku, and the latest edition returned to Finnish soil, more specifically the city of Espoo, just outside Helsinki. Here, the four-day championship was held from 13. to 16. July 2023.

And the Finns put on a great show in Espoo, winning three gold medals thanks to Silja Kosonen in the women’s sledgehammer, Saga Vanninen in the heptathlon and Juho Alasaari in the men’s pole vault.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland topped the medal table with a total of seven gold, three silver and four bronze medals.

Several championship records were set. We mention Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna who broke world champion Kristjan Ceh’s record in men’s discus, and European indoor and outdoor bronze medalist Ditaji Kambundji from Switzerland who took gold in the women’s 100m hurdles.

Greece’s European javelin champion Elina Tzengko added the U23 title to her senior and U20 titles, while the Netherlands’ Alida van Daalen won double gold with victories in shot put and discus.

In the decathlon, Norway’s Markus Rooth held off his teammate Sander Skotheim in an exciting duel, and in 2025 the Norwegian team will continue the hunt for more medals on home soil.