SPAR European Cross Country Championships

European Throwing Cup

European 10,000m Cup

European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships

European Athletics Championships

European Athletics U18 Championships

European Athletics Indoor Championships

European Race Walking Team Championships

The road to Brussels begins! Two days to go to the 2023-24 World Athletics Cross Country Tour

Nominees announced! Vote now for your 2023 men’s and women’s Rising Stars

Hendel and Hrochova crowned 2023 EuroHeroes following final race

Inspired by Andrei and guided by Dal Soglio, Fabbri takes shot at history in Rome next year

World record! Duplantis skies 6.23m in Eugene

European mile record! 3:43.73 for Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Eugene

Josh Kerr: "I knew I had the basic fundamentals to be a world champion"

Have your say and vote now for your men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s Rising Stars across the European Athletics <a href="https://www.instagram.com/europeanathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> accounts!
The men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s Rising Stars and European Athletes of the Year will be crowned at the Golden Tracks awards ceremony which takes place in Vilnius, Lithuania on 21 October and will be streamed live on the European Athletics YouTube channel.
The social media vote accounts for one-quarter of the overall vote with the Member Federations vote, media vote and expert panel vote each accounting for one-quarter of the final vote.&nbsp;
Voting closes across all channels on Monday 2 October and three finalists in each category will be announced on our social media channels in the following days.
Last year&rsquo;s Rising Star winners were Elina Tzengko from Greece and Lithuania&rsquo;s Mykolas Alekna, European champions in the women&rsquo;s javelin and men&rsquo;s discus respectively.
Past winners of the Rising Star award are no longer eligible for nomination and no athlete who has served a drug ban of one-year or longer will be nominated for either the Rising Star or European Athlete of the Year awards.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The nominees for the men's and women's European Athlete of the Year award will be revealed across social media on Friday (22).&nbsp;
In alphabetical order, the 10 nominees for the women's Rising Star award are:&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Rhasidat Adeleke (IRL)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">World 400m fourth-placer</li>
<li dir="ltr">NCAA 400m champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">European 400m leader (49.20)</li>
<li dir="ltr">World ranking (as of 19 September) - 6 (400m)</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">Agate Caune (LAT)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 3000m and 5000m champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">European Athletics Team Championships 2nd Division 5000m winner</li>
<li dir="ltr">World 5000m and&nbsp;European indoor 3000m finalist&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr">Second on European U20 all-time 3000m (8:39.78) and fourth on 5000m list (15:00.48)</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">Olivia G&uuml;rth (GER)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U23 3000m steeplechase champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World finalist&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr">Second on European U23 all-time 3000m steeplechase list (9:20.08)</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">Larissa Iapichino (ITA)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European indoor long jump silver medallist</li>
<li dir="ltr">European U23 champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World long jump fifth-placer</li>
<li dir="ltr">World ranking (as of 19 September) - 3</li>
</ul>
<h3>Jana Koscak (CRO)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">World U18 heptathlon best (6293)</li>
<li dir="ltr">World indoor U18 pentathlon best (4585)</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U20 heptathlon leader (6293)</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U18 high jump (1.92m) and heptathlon (6293) leader</li>
<li dir="ltr">Seventh on the European U20 all-time heptathlon list&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">Silja Kosonen (FIN)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U23 hammer champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World fifth-placer&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr">Fourth on European U23 all-time list (74.19m)</li>
<li dir="ltr">World ranking (as of 19 September) - 6</li>
</ul>
<h3>Nina Chioma Ndubuisi (GER)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 shot put champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U20 leader (17.97m)</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">Angelina Topic (SRB)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 high jump champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World seventh-placer&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr">European indoor fourth-placer</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U20 leader (1.97m)</li>
<li dir="ltr">World ranking (as of 19 September) - 4</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">Alida Van Daalen (NED)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U23 shot put and discus champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">European U23 shot put leader (18.32m)</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">Audrey Werro (SUI)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 800m champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division winner</li>
<li dir="ltr">European indoor finalist</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U20 800m leader (1:58.13)</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U20 1000m record (2:34.89)</li>
<li dir="ltr">Fourth on European U20 all-time 800m list (1:58.13)</li>
</ul>
In alphabetical order, the 10 nominees for the men's Rising Star award are:&nbsp;
<h3>Mykhailo Brudin (UKR)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 discus champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U20 leader (66.58m, 1.75kg)</li>
<li dir="ltr">Second in the U23 discus at the European Throwing Cup</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mattia Furlani (ITA)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 long jump champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U20 leader (8.24m)</li>
<li dir="ltr">Equal fourth on the European all-time U20 list (8.24m)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Amadeus Graber (GER)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 decathlon champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U20 leader (8209p)</li>
<li dir="ltr">Third on the European all-time U20 decathlon list (8209p)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Jonathan Grahn (SWE)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 3000m champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 5000m silver medallist</li>
<li dir="ltr">Second on the European all-time U20 3000m list (7:43.38)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Gyorgy Herczeg (HUN)</h3>
<ul>
<li>European U20 javelin champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 record and second on world U20 all-time list (84.98m)</li>
<li dir="ltr">World U20 leader (84.98m)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen (NOR)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U23 400m champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">European Team Championships winner</li>
<li dir="ltr">World sixth-placer&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr">Second on European all-time U23 list with 44.39</li>
<li dir="ltr">World ranking (as of 19 September) - 10</li>
</ul>
<h3>Niels Laros (NED)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 1500m and 5000m champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World 1500m finalist</li>
<li dir="ltr">European mile record (3:48.93)</li>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 2000m best (4:49.78)</li>
<li dir="ltr">Second on the European all-time U20 1500m (3:31.25) and 5000m (13:23.01) list</li>
<li dir="ltr">Fourth on the European all-time U20 800m list (1:44.78)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ben Pattison (GBR)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">World 800m bronze medallist</li>
<li dir="ltr">World ranking (as of 19 September) - 6</li>
</ul>
<h3>Markus Rooth (NOR)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U23 decathlon champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">World eighth-placer</li>
<li dir="ltr">Fourth on European all-time U23 list (8609p)</li>
<li dir="ltr">World ranking (as of 19 September) - 10</li>
</ul>
<h3>Marek Zakrzewski (POL)</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 100m champion</li>
<li dir="ltr">European U20 200m champion</li>
</ul>

For Leonardo Fabbri, the horizon is suddenly glinting with the prospect of a golden shot at a spot in the annals of Italian athletics history following his major breakthrough at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Having scraped into the shot final as the last of the 12 qualifiers, making the cut by just six centimetres, the towering Tuscan proceeded to seize the hand of opportunity with one mighty third round effort in what was his first global final.
A non-qualifier at the 2019 World Championships (13th), the 2021 Olympic Games (14th) and the 2022 World Championships (22nd), Fabbri propelled himself from ninth-place to second with a throw of 22.34m &ndash; a lifetime best by 35 centimetres.
In doing so, the 26-year-old did more than enough to take the silver medal behind the formidable Ryan Crouser, whose stunning final round 23.51m was just six centimetres shy of the world record he threw on home soil in Los Angeles in May.
[INSTAGRAM ID="http://www.instagram.com/p/CwI8qRXsFjk/?img_index=1"]
Having started the day as the second-string Italian &ndash; behind 2023 European indoor champion Zane Weir, who went on to finish a disappointing eleventh &ndash; Fabbri found himself among the all-time big shots of the track and field Azzurri.
<h2 dir="ltr">Following in Andrei's giant footsteps</h2>
It was only Italy&rsquo;s second medal in the men&rsquo;s shot put in the 40-year history of the World Championships, after the silver won by Alessandro Andrei behind Switzerland&rsquo;s Werner Gunthor in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in 1987.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a dream come true for me,&rdquo; said Fabbri. &ldquo;Alessandro Andrei came from my home city, Florence. That makes this achievement even more special. I grew up watching videos of him. He&rsquo;s always been my role model.&rdquo;
Whether the latest Florentine colossus by the name of Leonardo can emulate Andrei by becoming an Olympic champion and world record-breaker remains to be seen.
On the Olympic front, Crouser would need to suffer a dramatic dip in form &ndash; or something more damaging than the blood clotting of the legs that afflicted him in the build-up to Budapest &ndash; for the gold to be a realistic prospect for Fabbri, or any other thrower, in Paris next August.
However, gold on the European front might be a different matter.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/18f0f5b8-ff29-4431-ace2-5abec7c24947?width=5587&amp;height=3713" alt="Getty Images 1625791742">
Fabbri&rsquo;s silver medal winning throw in Budapest was the best by a European for 35 years: since Ulf Timmermann became the first man in history to breach the 23 metre-mark. The East German threw 23.06m at Khania in Crete in May 1988, eclipsing the world record figures of 22.91m set by Andrei in Viareggio in August 1987.
Andrei had broken the previous world record three times that night but when it came to European competition he never managed to get on the podium outdoors - though he did claim European indoor bronze in Gothenburg in 1984, the year he struck Olympic gold in Los Angeles.
No Italian has ever won the European outdoor men&rsquo;s shot title. In fact, in the 89-year history of the European Athletics Championships, only one male Italian shot putter has ever made the podium: Angiolo Profeti, who finished runner-up to Iceland&rsquo;s Gunnar Huseby in Brussels in 1950.
It just so happens, of course, that the 2024 edition of a competition that started in Turin in 1934 will be held on Italian ground in Rome from&nbsp; 7-12 June &ndash; at the Stadio Olimpico where Andrei won his World Championships silver in 1987, and where the European Athletics Championships were last held in 1974.
Half-a-century after Pietro Mennea provided the sole home success, the pencil-slim sprinter floating to victory in the 200m, Fabbri will have the chance to graduate to gold standard in the celebrated Roman sporting amphitheatre.
It promises to be a championship to savour for the host nation, with Gianmarco Tamberi (high jump), Marcell Jacobs (100m) and Yemaneberhan Crippa (10,000m) all defending titles they won in Munich in 2022.
<h2 dir="ltr">An all-Italian battle for shot put gold?</h2>
The men&rsquo;s shot put could be the highlight for Italy, with Fabbri up against his training partner Weir, who bounced back from his Budapest disappointment by becoming the third Italian over the&nbsp; 22 metre-mark, eclipsing Fabbri&rsquo;s European lead with 22.44m in Padova on 3 September.
Born and raised in Durban, Weir will not be the first South African-Italian to enter a European Championships in Rome as a medal contender.
Marcello Fiasconaro lined up for the 800m final in 1974 as the world record-holder but was, sadly, carrying an Achilles tendon injury that caught up with him after a bold do-or-die effort from the front. The tall, long-haired former rugby player was eight metres clear after blasting through halfway in 50.1 but faded to sixth as the willowy Yugoslav Luciano Susanj kicked to a decisive victory ahead of the 18-year-old Briton Steve Ovett.
In the meantime, Fabbri can reflect with satisfaction on having finally started to fulfill the youthful promise that earned him bronze at the European Youth Olympic Festival ten years ago.
He was runner-up at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Gavle in 2019 and also at the European Athletics Team Championships in Silesia in 2021, but progress at senior international championship level had been slow until the third round explosion in Budapest &ndash; and a subsequent foul that nudged the 23 metre-line, hinting at the possibility of much more to come.
&ldquo;Since I started doing athletics as a child, watching the major championships on TV with my parents, I have always dreamed of getting on the podium in the Azzurri vest,&rdquo; said Fabbri, whose father, Fabio, was a decent sprinter with a 10.9 PB for 100m.
&ldquo;I found the strength in my head because I knew I could do it. I had some problems with the circle in the morning qualifying but in the final in the evening I felt total confidence.
&ldquo;I picked up the 7.26kg shot and it looked like a tennis ball. I didn&rsquo;t think about second place but I wanted to throw 22m. That was my goal.
&ldquo;For me, it was so important to break the 22m barrier. That, and the silver medal, opens up new doors for me.
&ldquo;I dedicate my medal to my coach, Paolo Dal Soglio. He has been with me all of the way, through the missed opportunities of being just short of making world and Olympic finals.&nbsp;I owe everything to Paolo. We have a very close relationship. He has helped me to grow.&rdquo;
[INSTAGRAM ID="http://www.instagram.com/p/CwI6rpqNoTT"]
Dal Soglio was no mean shot putter himself. He placed fourth in the Olympic final in Atlanta in 1996 and fifth at the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon in 2001. He also won a European title - indoors - in Stockholm in 1996.
Outdoors, his best performance at a European Athletics Championships was fifth in Budapest in 1998.
Nobody would be happier if his emerging apprentice made it to top spot in the men&rsquo;s shot at the Stadio Olimpico next June.
Simon Turnbull for European Athletics

Josh Kerr gives a wry smile as he reflects on the solitary victory he managed to achieve at his specialist distance in 2023.&nbsp;
"Yes, I hadn&rsquo;t won a 1500m race this year until the final at the World Championships," says the Brit who ripped up the formbook as he tore round the final 200 metres in Budapest on the evening of 23 August, outsprinting Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic and two-time European champion, European record-holder and overwhelming favourite.
&ldquo;Everyone approaches the year in different ways. I&rsquo;ve always had a major focus on the major championships.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter what my decisions are throughout the year. That&rsquo;s always going to be my end goal. That&rsquo;s what the approach was this year. I was calm. It was cool and collected.&rdquo;
It was that. And it culminated in the calm, cool Kerr peaking to perfection to collect his first gold medal in the international arena since his junior days as the 1500m winner at the European U20 Championships in Eskilstuna in 2015.&nbsp;
When Kerr crossed the finish line, 0.27 clear of the crestfallen Ingebrigtsen, he beat his fists against the Great Britain wording on his vest and jabbed the index finger of his right hand against his temple.
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If ever a runner had got it right in the head department, it was the 25-year-old Scot in the course of his tour de force performance.
Not just in the 3:29.38 of perfectly-judged racing, but in his mental preparation too. And in the holistic, painstaking preparation that brought him to a peak when it mattered the most.
All summer long, Ingebrigtsen had gone unbeaten at 1500m. Not only that; the young Norwegian had looked untouchable, improving his European record figures to 3:27.95 on home ground in Oslo and then to 3:27.14 in Silesia in July.
<h2 dir="ltr">Timing his peak to perfection</h2>
Kerr, the Olympic 1500m bronze medallist behind Ingebrigtsen and Kenya&rsquo;s Timothy Cheruiyot in Tokyo in 2021, had not just been beatable but well-beaten in the two races he contested at the distance before the World Championships.
He finished ninth in Oslo in 3:30.07, 2.12 seconds down on Ingebrigtsen, and third at the Lausanne Diamond League on 30 June, clocking 3:29.64 behind the Norwegian (3:28.72) and Ethiopia&rsquo;s serial global steeplechase silver medallist Lamecha Girma (3:29.51).
What has proven to be his only 1500m victory of the year, outdoors or in, came courtesy of a striking replication of the blueprint forged by his Great Britain and Edinburgh Athletics Club colleague, Jake Wightman, in the 2022 World Championships final in Eugene.
Like Wightman thirteen months previously, Kerr struck with 200 metres to go, finding Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s Achilles heel fuelled by the potent combination of a superior finishing kick and sheer determination.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/1d782e90-3edd-451b-b972-cc68f0563977?width=4055&amp;height=2702" alt="Getty Images 1634274027">
&ldquo;I felt the opportunity was there with 200 metres to go,&rdquo; says Kerr, whose training base has been at Albuquerque in the United States since he enrolled at the University of New Mexico at the age of 17. &ldquo;I just went for it and gave it everything I had.
&ldquo;On the start line I was saying to myself, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s my turn; it&rsquo;s my turn.&rsquo; I knew I had the basic fundamentals to be a world champion.
&ldquo;The training I&rsquo;d put together over the previous couple of months had been unforgiving. I was on an insane diet that my nutritionist had written. I had a chef and mental coaches. It was an accumulation of a lot of hard work. There were no corners cut.&rdquo;
Chasing times on the Diamond League circuit has always been strictly of secondary interest to Scot, who has acquired a canny knack of peaking for the year&rsquo;s main event under the astute direction of his US coach Danny Mackey.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Playing the waiting game&nbsp;</h2>
Kerr has placed in the top six in the last four global outdoor 1500m finals: sixth at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, third at the 2021 Olympics, fifth at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and now first at the 2023 World Championships.
Reflecting on his graduation to gold standard in Budapest, he says: &ldquo;Over the last five years I&rsquo;ve been to five major championships and that step from being world class to world champion has been the hardest step.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s taken me a good few years, and now that I&rsquo;ve made that step, I&rsquo;m excited to be here. I&rsquo;d like to stay here for a while.
&ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s hard to be a world champion or an Olympic champion going into an event, but I&rsquo;ve conquered all the other levels of competition thus far. I don&rsquo;t see this one as any different.&rdquo;
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/ed3530ae-4ba8-4c0b-9608-4176f5db90f0?width=6000&amp;height=4000" alt="Getty Images 1634473260">
It did not take Kerr long to discover what life would be like with a world champion target on his back. Chasing Mo Farah&rsquo;s 3:28.81 British record at the Weltklasse in Zurich, he was pipped at the death by Yared Nuguse, finishing 0.02 down on the US champion in 3:30.51.
He subsequently finished his season on a high with a victory on the roads in the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York on 10 September, clocking 3:47.9, ahead of George Mills, who has been making rapid strides since missing out on selection for World Championships.
With the injured Wightman plus Neil Gourley, the Scot who took European indoor silver behind Ingebrigtsen in Istanbul in March, to add into the equation, merely gaining selection in the men&rsquo;s 1500m in the British team for next year&rsquo;s Olympic Games in Paris is going to be a challenge reminiscent of the days when the formidable four of Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram and Peter Elliott would not go into a mere three places.
&ldquo;Obviously for the Olympics we can only send three people and we will have two runners who have been world champions in the previous two years,&rdquo; Kerr muses. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a hard team to make.
&ldquo;But, you know, that keeps you motivated through the year. There&rsquo;s no laziness around because we have seven or eight guys with the standard and if they finish top two at the trials, they&rsquo;re going to go automatically. And then it&rsquo;s going to be a tough call for British Athletics after that.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re not going to get on the GB 1500m team if you&rsquo;re not there to at least think about medalling. That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;ve been doing, and that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;ll continue to produce for the next however many years.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just looking to continue this level of competition and keep enjoying my running.
&ldquo;To be Olympic champion is my next goal. And I also want the British record. They&rsquo;re the two goals for the next year or so.&rdquo;
Simon Turnbull for European Athletics
&nbsp;

It&rsquo;s time to dig out and dust off the cross country spikes! The road to the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels on 10 December begins this weekend.&nbsp;
The famous TCS Liding&ouml;loppet takes place in Lidingo, just to the east of Stockholm, on Saturday (23) and is one of eight World Athletics Cross Country Tour Silver and Bronze events to be held in Europe in 2023-24, all of which fall under the administration of European Athletics.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
The full calendar (as of 21 September) can be found <a href="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/2e479d82-5d6f-4c9d-9f23-a2ab02701504/Calendar%20WA%20Cross%20Country%20Tour%202024%20Europe.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>
</li>
</ul>
Five of those events take place before the European Cross Country Championships and are generally a useful indicator of who&rsquo;s in form and who could challenge for medals at the focal point of the continental cross country season.
The Liding&ouml;loppet is one of the world&rsquo;s longest running cross country events on the calendar with the first iteration dating back to 1965. The event is also something of an outlier on the cross country circuit with the senior races held over a non-traditional distance of 30 kilometres.
But whoever wins will follow in the footsteps of some illustrious names. The legendary Grete Waitz from Norway won the discontinued 15km race on 12 occasions between 1976 and 1988 along with former world marathon record-holders Ingrid Kristiansen (1987) and Tegla Loroupe (1992, 1994)&nbsp;while leading Swedish distance runners Malin Ewerlof (1996, 2001, 2009) Mustafa Mohamed (2003-04, 2008), Napoleon Solomon (2017, 2018) and Samuel Tsegay (2022) have all triumphed in the 30km event.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/d6127be6-9c5c-4723-9712-099280b7bf48?width=5472&amp;height=3648" alt="Foto: Peter Holgersson AB">
With up to 30,000 runners from 70 countries expected to take part across all distances, there is a strong mass participation element to the Liding&ouml;loppet which was once described by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe as &ldquo;as one of the world&rsquo;s great cross country running competitions.&rdquo; The Liding&ouml;loppet is also listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world&rsquo;s biggest cross country race.
<h2 dir="ltr">Next stop...Dublin</h2>
The World Athletics Cross Country Tour in Europe heads south to Dublin (15 October) and Belfast (21 October) the following month before the race for selection for the Spanish team at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships begins in earnest with the famous Cross Internacional Zornotza in Amorebieta - another event which can boast a rich tapestry of history dating back to 1954 - one day later on 22 October.&nbsp;
The last fixture on the calendar before the SPAR European Cross Country Championships is the Warandecross in Tilburg on 26 November, an event which always attracts strong Dutch and European athletes - many of whom have gone on to feature in the race for medals at the European Cross Country Championships.
This brings the SPAR European Cross Country Championships into view with this year&rsquo;s edition on 10 December returning to Laken Park in Brussels for the second time after the Belgian capital first staged the event in 2008.
Unbeaten in European Cross Country Championships history, Jakob Ingebrigtsen could aim to extend this remarkable record by challenging for his third successive senior title - and his seventh in total - while his Norwegian teammate Karoline Bjerkeli Gr&oslash;vdal is very likely to target a hat-trick of individual titles in the senior women&rsquo;s race.&nbsp;
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/02535dd7-e973-4330-9280-c0a276c883de?width=3000&amp;height=2000" alt="Getty Images 1245539347">
From a domestic standpoint, a full strength Belgian team could challenge for a medal in the mixed relay which would add to their bronze from 2021 while former European U23 cross country champion Isaac Kimeli represents their best chance of winning an individual medal in the senior races.
In sub-zero temperatures, Kimeli won bronze on a twisty and undulating course in Turin behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen last December as well as silver behind another Ingebrigtsen - this time Filip - five years ago on a flat albeit muddy course in Tilburg.&nbsp;
The SPAR European Cross Country Championships will be streamed live in its entirety on the All-Athletics platform through the European Athletics website and will be accompanied by expert English-language commentary.&nbsp;
Steven Mills for European Athletics
&nbsp;

Rosina Schneider emerged as one of the stars of this year&rsquo;s European Athletics U20 Championships in Jerusalem, winning double gold.&nbsp;
Firstly, she won the 100m hurdles and later contributed to the 4x100m title, running the third leg for Germany. Both gold medals were also in European U20 leading times for the year, adding the cherries on the cake for the talented teenager.&nbsp;
Yet, her individual success came despite her only recently switching her focus to the hurdles, hinting at much more progress to come.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Hurdles switch bears fruit
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m like a newcomer,&rdquo; said the modest Schneider. Normally I was doing sprints in Germany, but I decided I wanted to do hurdles. I&rsquo;m very proud that it worked out.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It was my own decision. I looked at the European rankings and I saw that I could make it. The first girl was only one tenth away and I was like &lsquo;Okay. Maybe I can make it?&rsquo; And in the sprints, the girls from Great Britain are very fast. So, I&rsquo;m very happy to run hurdles. I (still) want to do sprinting too. Maybe more in the future years?&rdquo;&nbsp;
Until this year, Schneider had been predominantly a 100m and 200m sprinter, only occasionally dabbling over the sprint hurdles. Last year she reached the 100m flat semifinals at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia and she raced just three times over 100m hurdles across two domestic meetings.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
A relative novice she may still be, but her talent over the barriers is clear. She scorched to gold in 13.06, a clear 0.17 ahead of the rest in Jerusalem. It was an improvement of 0.32 on her best time before the championships.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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&ldquo;Maybe next year, if everything goes well, I will manage to go under 13 seconds,&rdquo; speculates the fast-improving hurdler, not unreasonably.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Looking further ahead she says: &ldquo;Hopefully I will establish myself in the international competitions. I am a newcomer, and I am very happy with every race that I run. Every time I think I can learn a lot of things from each race and the technique.&rdquo;&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">A team effort takes her to double gold</h2>
Training out of Stuttgart, she draws from a highly professional support network to guide her progress. This includes former world 4x100m bronze medallist Cathleen Tschirch who writes her training programmes, hurdles coaches Aleksandra Gacic and Sven Rees and gym coach Nicolas Neumann.&nbsp;
With her breakthrough results in Jerusalem and her rapid progress accelerating her to the top of the German senior rankings, expectation has grown on Schneider. But like any great hurdler, she understands the importance of feet being on the ground.&nbsp;
[INSTAGRAM ID="http://www.instagram.com/p/CwNIXlPtQ3Q/?img_index=1"]
She retains a fan-like admiration for some of the sport&rsquo;s biggest stars. &ldquo;I like Mondo Duplantis. - although he is doing the pole vault. He is still very, very young and he breaks world records after world records at a young age. He is like an idol for me. I love Sydney McLaughlin and Usain Bolt &ndash; everybody loves him,&rdquo; she smiles.&nbsp;
Only just turned 19, she also is keen to travel. &ldquo;I graduated in Germany in April and now I want to visit the world a little bit. Next year we have no international competitions, because it is my first year of being U23.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;I would like to go to Australia and New Zealand, maybe to the United States? Maybe I can look to join some training groups? I have got a trainer in Germany who can help me with this.&rdquo;&nbsp;
For an athlete as talented as Schneider, the world awaits.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics&nbsp;

The world awaits Schneider after her breakthrough double gold in Jerusalem

At the Mattoni &Uacute;st&iacute; nad Labem Half Marathon 2023, the fourth and final race of the EuroHeroes series, on Saturday (16) Tereza Hrochova of the Czech Republic and Sebastian Hendel of Germany finished first and second in the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s races respectively, which was good enough for them to take the overall EuroHeroes titles for 2023.
The first three half marathons of the series, which is held in the Czech Republic, took place in the spring in Karlovy Vary, Ceske Budejovice and Olomouc, with the final event being the weekend&rsquo;s Mattoni &Uacute;st&iacute; nad Labem Half Marathon 2023.
In the men&rsquo;s race, Hendel had to run under 1:06 to secure the victory, and he did so in impressive style, clocking 1:05:16 to take the win. This also secured him the overall EuroHeroes crown with 2018 points.
In the women&rsquo;s race, Hrochova battled it out with European Athletics marathon champion Aleksandra Lisowska for the overall title, with Hrochova finishing second in 1:13:49 and Lisowska taking third place in 1:15:18. Ukraine&rsquo;s Valeriia Zinenko took the race win, just six seconds ahead of Hrochova in 1:13:43.
This result meant that both Hrochova and Lisowska scored higher than the previous series leader Belgium&rsquo;s Hanne Verbruggen in the overall EuroHeroes standings. Hrochova was awarded the overall title with 2111 points, with Lisowska taking second with 2084 points, and Verbruggen third with 2076 points.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/05705c44-3093-4d34-a9cd-05d1b4bf47c9?key=q75maxwidth600" alt="2023 0916 16052500">
The EuroHeroes Awards Ceremony followed the final race and was an evening of celebration, recognition and inspiration. The event saw the series&rsquo; top-ranking athletes presented their awards by Marko Vasic, Running Unit Director at European Athletics, and Carlo Capalbo, President of the RunCzech organising committee.
At the start of the evening, Capalbo said: &ldquo;Every beautiful thing, every outstanding thing starts by chance. We had this idea about ten years ago. EuroHeroes aims to identify, promote, and develop European athletes. And that's what we did in 2018. In 2019, we received an award from European Athletics for the best European project.
&ldquo;Of course, we had a small, sad break, and now we are back in 2023. I am particularly happy to start EuroHeroes again because the quality of athletes who ran these four races is extremely high, so it was very competitive.&rdquo;
Mr Vasic added: &ldquo;European Athletics celebrates these amazing European athletes, winners of the EuroHeroes race series. With this exciting format, we are creating new heroes of athletics, amazing runners, and in the home of Emil Z&aacute;topek, a true European hero.
&ldquo;Tonight, we are here to celebrate the new generation of European heroes, Tereza and Sebastian. European Athletics is here to celebrate you. Tereza, you are walking in the big steps of Zatopek and promoting our sport to a new generation of runners. And Sebastian, you are bringing this mould to millions of Germans and hundreds of Europeans. Thank you to both of you and all the other runners and thank you for bringing this sport to the masses and making more people run.&rdquo;
The EuroHeroes project and awards ceremony would not be possible without the commitment of RunCzech, European Athletics and the four cities and regions in the Czech Republic that host the races.
<h2 class="p1">About EuroHeroes</h2>
EuroHeroes was founded by RunCzech in 2018 and since then has honoured and celebrated the achievements of European athletes with the goal of enhancing the competitiveness of European athletes, promoting their development, and uncovering new running stars.
The competition format requires runners to complete at least two of the four EuroHeroes races (all World Athletics Road Race Label half marathons in 2023) held in the Czech Republic to be in with a chance of winning the overall title. Athletes are awarded points according to the World Athletics Scoring Tables to determine the winners. The sum of the two best points totals earned by each athlete determines the final rankings and titles.

European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov hailed the continent's successes at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, which concluded after nine days of competition on Sunday night. "I would like to congratulate every single competitor who represented a European Athletics Member Federation at this year&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships," said Karamarinov, who was present in the Hungarian capital as both European Athletics President and a World Athletics Council Member.&nbsp;
"To qualify for these championships alone is an outstanding achievement worthy of note and one that is only achieved through hard work and dedication.
"Many of those who were in Budapest will, I am sure, represent their countries at next year&rsquo;s European Athletics Championships in Rome and I am already looking forward to seeing them in action once again, this time on the continental stage in what is the most important and prestigious competition in the portfolio of our won organisation."
<blockquote>
"In Budapest, there were 16 European gold medals &ndash; the biggest number from our continent's athletes since 2017 &ndash; who came from nine Member Federations. In addition, there were another 31 silver and bronze medals won and 18 nations won a medal of one colour or another."
</blockquote>
"This means that almost a third of our Member Federations had at least one medallist in this global competition, once again showing the strength of our sport at the very highest level across the entirety of Europe and across the spectrum of athletics events from sprints to race walking."
"In addition, there were two championship records set by European athletes, five world leading marks, 36 national records, a huge number of personal bests and I have to mention Great Britain&rsquo;s Matthew Hudson-Smith, who set a European 400m record of 44.26 and broke a record that had stood for 26 years.
"After the successes of nine days of successful and very enjoyable competition in the Hungarian capital, I look forward to honouring many of the winners in person at our glittering<a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/european-athletics/organisation/congress-and-convention" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Golden Tracks annual awards night which this year will be Vilnius, Lithuania on 21 October </a>where we will announce the European Athletes of the Year for 2023," added Karamarinov.
In addition, to the 2023 European Athletes of the Year, the Golden Tracks ceremony in October will also see the announcement of the winners of the 2023 European Rising Star of the Year award.
Candidates for all the Golden Tracks awards, and voting details. will be announced in mid-September.

President Karamarinov hails European successes at World Athletics Championships

Two championship records, one championship best, five world U20 leads, 13 European U20 leads, one national senior record, five national U23 records and 35 national U20 records were set on the Conica surface at the Jerusalem 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships last week.
One of the standout performances came from Latvia&rsquo;s rising distance star Agate Caune who smashed the championship record and her personal best with 15:03.85 in the women&rsquo;s 5000m to become the third athlete ever to achieve the 3000/5000m double in the European Athletics U20 Championships.
Another prodigious distance talent, Niels Laros of the Netherlands, although well off the championship records in tactical races, unleashed a lightning-fast 51.35 last 400m in the 1500m en-route to his 1500/5000m distance double.
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Meanwhile, Italy&rsquo;s Mattia Furlani came out on top in a thrilling men&rsquo;s long jump final which saw both the gold and silver medallists go further than the previous championship record. Bulgaria&rsquo;s Bozhidar Sar&acirc;boyukov&nbsp;jumped over eight metres five times, including a Bulgarian U20 record of 8.22m in the second round, but it wasn't enough to displace Italy's Mattia Furlani from the top of the podium with a championship record of 8.23m.
There was a championship best in the decathlon pole vault too, with Germany's Amadeus Gr&auml;ber clearing 5.10m on his way to win gold with a world U20-leading total of 8209 points overall, thanks to a string of personal bests. All three medallists achieved over 8000 points with Austria's Matthias Lasch taking silver and Andrin Huber of Switzerland bronze.
In the women&rsquo;s pole vault, Lithuania's Rugilė Miklyčiūtė took silver with a 5cm personal best, improving her own national record of 4.15m. It was the only national senior record set during a championships which saw no fewer than 40 age group records.
Nina Chioma Ndubuisi in the women&rsquo;s shot put and Max Lampinen in the men&rsquo;s hammer also set world U20 leads, and world U20 bronze medallist and European U18 champion Mykhailo Brudin set world U20 leads in both qualification (65.48m) and in the final (66.58m).
Sprinters clearly loved the Conica surface too, with plenty of personal bests set across the board and a host of national records in the sprints and relays as well as other events.
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<h2 class="p1">A four-year partnership</h2>
Last year, European Athletics announced a four-year Partnership Agreement with the renowned track manufacturer until the end of 2026, awarding Conica the status of Preferred Supplier of European Athletics in the &lsquo;tracks and sport flooring&rsquo; category.
This means that Conica is designated as an Official Supplier at events where their tracks are used, covering European Athletics Championships, European Athletics Indoor Championships, European Athletics Team Championships and European Athletics U18/U20/U23 Championships &ndash; so it looks like records will continue to fall!
<h2 class="p1">About Conica</h2>
Conica has been developing and manufacturing innovative seamless flooring solutions based on polyurethane and epoxy resins for sports, games, leisure as well as other areas for over 40 years. Conica is one of the world&rsquo;s market leaders and innovation drivers in this field. The user-oriented requirements for technical and sports functional performance as well as usability while guaranteeing health aspects of the material itself and for the user are the focus of product development. Conica is part of the Serafin group of companies based in Munich.
View the full <a href="https://jerusalem23results.european-athletics.com/resEAA/pdf/JER2023/ATH/JER2023_ATH_C81_ATH-------------------------------.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">list of records set</a> at Jerusalem 2023.

Conica surface provides setting for records aplenty at Jerusalem 2023

The European Athletics U20 Championships has a long and esteemed history dating back to 1970 but European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov believes the upcoming championships in Jerusalem from 7-10 August will be the best edition to date.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This is a historic event. It&rsquo;s the biggest European athletics event ever in Israel. I want to really thank the Mayor of Jerusalem, the municipality of Jerusalem, the Ministry of Sport and Culture, the Local Organising Committee and the Israeli Athletics Federation
&ldquo;Together with European Athletics we are ready to deliver the best ever European Athletics U20 Championships,&rdquo; said President Karamarinov at the pre-event press conference on Sunday (6) morning.
Karamarinov reiterated his gratitude to all parties who have made the staging of the event possible at relatively short notice after the initial host city of Cluj-Napoca withdrew last year.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This is a natural legacy of the incredible success of the European Athletics U18 Championships. Jerusalem was not the original host of the championships - Jerusalem helped European Athletics in a difficult moment. In less than one year, we have prepared to deliver these championships.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This shows our unity, solidarity and how we are ready to serve the athletes,&rdquo; said Karamarinov, who acknowledged some of the medallists at these championships which will be <a href="https://allathletics.tv/championships/ea-u20-jerusalem-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">streamed live on the All-Athletics platform</a> are likely to feature the senior podium at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships from 7-12 June.
Just under 1200 athletes from 44 Member Federations will be competing at the Givat Ram Stadium from 7-10 August including 27 individual winners from last year&rsquo;s European Athletics U18 Championships which also took place in Jerusalem.&nbsp;
The Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion is looking forward to welcoming athletes from all across Europe to Jerusalem for the second time in the space of just over a year.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;This is a city where dreams and miracles come true. There is no better place to hold an international celebration of sport, bringing people together from 44 nations to compete, to meet and make their dreams come true.
&ldquo;Last year we hosted the U18 Championships with great success. This championships is the natural next step for Jerusalem. Our newly renovated stadium in Givat Ram is one of the most advanced in the world and we are proud to welcome you to this great city,&rdquo; said Lion.
President of Local Organising Committee Ami Baran hopes the championships will serve the dual purpose of further establishing Israel&rsquo;s presence on the athletics map and inspiring the next generation of Israeli sportspeople.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to welcome all our European friends. I believe this event will be one to remember and for sure, will be another stepping stone for Israeli athletics to grow and to become a leader in European athletics.
&ldquo;The championships will be a spectacular event which we hope will inspire Israel's youth to join the athletics world and reach limits they never thought would be achievable,&rdquo; said Baran.&nbsp;
These thoughts were very much echoed by the CEO of Israel TOTO Meir Bardugo who also pledged his commitment to supporting and developing sport in the country.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We are convinced as we start an Olympic year, this tournament will motivate us all and develop Israeli sport.
&ldquo;This summer has been nothing short of historic for Israeli sport thanks to the achievements of our young football and basketball team and Israel&rsquo;s gold medal-winning sprinter Blessing Afrifah,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The European Athletics U20 Championships begin at 8.15am local time (CET+1) on Monday (7) and will be streamed live through the All-Athletics platform on the European Athletics website.&nbsp;
Steven Mills for European Athletics
&nbsp;

President Karamarinov: “We are ready to deliver the best ever European Athletics U20 Championships”

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