Under 23 is a category of athletics in which athletes are between 20 and 22 years old on 31 December of the year of the competition. [1]
The European Athletics U23 Championships is a biennial athletics competition for European athletes under the age of 23, which is organized by the European Athletic Association. The oldest of the 'age-group' track and field events held by European Athletics - European Athletics U20 Championships are held in the same odd numbered years, while the European Athletics U18 Championships, previously the 'Youth Championships' are held in even numbered years.
The 1st European Athletics U23 Championships were held in Turku, Finland on 10–13 July 1997. The competition succeeded the European Athletics U23 Cup, which had been held in 1992 and 1994.
The 5th European Athletics U23 Championships were held in Erfurt, Germany, at Steigerwaldstadion between 14 and 17 July 2005.
The 4th European Athletics U23 Championships were held in Bydgoszcz, Poland at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium between 17 and 20 July 2003.
The 3rd European Athletics U23 Championships were held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Olympisch Stadion on 12–15 July 2001.
Matthew John "Matt" Elias is a retired Welsh athlete who specialised in the 400 metres sprint and 400 metres hurdles. During his international career he represented Great Britain. In 2003 he won a gold medal at the European Championships and at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens he finished 5th in the 4 × 400 m relay, He is also a part of Super Schools.
The 7th European Athletics U23 Championships were held between 16 and 19 July 2009 in the S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania.
The 2nd European Athletics U23 Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden, at Ullevi from 29 July to 1 August 1999.
Katarzyna Kowalska is a Polish long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She represented Poland at the 2008 Olympic Games and 2012 Olympic Games and reached the final of the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. She also competed at the 2006 European Athletics Championships and the 2007, 2009, and 2013 World Championships.
The 8th European Athletics U23 Championships were held on 14–17 July 2011 in the Městský stadion in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
The NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics is an under-23 athletics competition held between the member associations of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC). Rules and regulations were approved at an extraordinary meeting of the members attending the XVIII Central American and Caribbean Games in Maracaibo, Venezuela held on August 18, 1998. First, the competition was open for athletes aged under-25. The Congress held on the island of Grenada on July 3, 2003, resulted in the reduction of the age limit for its bi-annual championships to athletes under-23 years of age in the year of competition.
The men's decathlon event at the 2001 European Athletics U23 Championships was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Olympisch Stadion on 12 and 13 July.
Douwe Jorn Amels is a Dutch track and field athlete who specialises in the high jump. He won the gold medal at the 2023 European Indoor Championships, becoming the first Dutchman ever to win gold in the event and the first Dutch high jump medallist at these championships since 1977. Amels claimed also gold at the 2013 European Under-23 Championships.
Under-23 sport is a competitive age category grouping within sports for athletes under the age of twenty-three. An extension of age categories found in youth sports, the under-23 category is for adults who are still in a developmental stage within their chosen discipline. The intention of the grouping is to allow such adults to improve their skills against opponents of a similar standard, as opposed to elite level of competition found in open senior level competitions, where they may not receive competitive opportunities or may find their development hindered by significant ability differences.
Deji Tobais is a British male track and field sprinter who competes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. He represented his country at age-category level including two medals at the European Athletics U23 Championships in 2013, where he set a European under-23 record in the 4 × 100 metres relay.
Tuğba Danışmaz is a Turkish track and field athlete competing in the long jump and triple jump. She won the gold medal for the triple jump at the 2023 European Indoor Championships. Danışmaz claimed silver and gold at the 2019 and 2021 European Under-23 Championships respectively.
Nadia Battocletti is an Italian female middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal for the 5000 metres at the 2021 European Under-23 Championships. Battocletti earned four individual gold medals in the U20 and U23 age groups at the European Cross Country Championships. She is the Italian record holder for the indoor 3000 metres and 5 km road race.
Dalia Kaddari is an Italian athlete sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres. She won a gold medal at the 2021 European U23 Championships. Kaddari is also a two time Italian champion in the event.
Adriana Vilagoš is a Serbian athlete who specializes in the javelin throw. At the age of 18, she won silver medal at the 2022 European Athletics Championships, becoming the youngest ever European medallist in a throwing event. One year prior, Vilagoš was for the first time the World Under-20 Champion and earned silver medal at the European U20 Championships successfully defending her World U20 title in 2022 and breaking championship and European U20 records in the process.