Track and field World Athletics Championships 2023: Day-by-day highlights guide and daily schedule

It's time once more for the World Athletics Championships. This is the second of four consecutive years boasting a top-level track and field event with Worlds also in 2022 and 2025, and the Olympic Games Paris 2024 next year.

The brand-new Hungarian National Athletics Centre, located along the banks of the Danube in the capital Budapest, will host the 2023 World Athletics Championships from 19–27 August.

Over nine days of competition, fans in Budapest will see 49 sets of medals awarded, and for the first time there will be a dedicated medal plaza for fans and athletes to celebrate the medallists.

Six of the 49 events – four race walks and two marathons – will take place on the roads of Budapest through the heart of the city, starting and finishing in Heroes' Square and showcasing some of Budapest's biggest visitor attractions. Additionally, the Team Trophy returns after a successful introduction last year in Oregon, recognising the best team across the entire Championships.

Olympics.com has picked out the events to watch on a daily basis as well as the schedule of events for both heats and finals.

All times below are in Central European Summer Time (UTC+2). Schedule details are subject to change at short notice.

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Day 1 - 19 August 2023 - World record watch in men's shot put final; men's 100m begins

Four medals are on offer on the opening day of competition, beginning with the men's 20km race walk in Heroes' Square in the morning.

When the evening's finals begin, all eyes will be on reigning world champion Ryan Crouser in the men's shot put. He is the world record holder in the event and has added nearly 20cm to his previous best mark this year alone. Now armed with a new technique, can the only man to have thrown past 23.5m extend that further?

The men's 100m competition begins in the morning with the preliminary round, before defending champion Fred Kerley and the pretenders to his crown join in the fun in the heats at 7:43pm local time.

The day's other finals are in the women's 10,000m – the first run of another treble attempt by Sifan Hassan – and the mixed 4x400m relay.

Day 1 schedule

All events at National Athletics Centre unless specified.

• 08:50 - Men's 20km race walk - Final (Heroes' Square)
• 10:30 - Men's shot put - Qualification
• 10:35 - Women's heptathlon - 100m hurdles
• 11:05 - Mixed 4x400m relay - Heats
• 11:35 - Men's 3000m steeplechase - Heats
• 11:45 - Women's heptathlon - High jump
• 12:00 - Men's hammer throw - Qualification A
• 12:25 - Women's long jump - Qualification
• 12:35 - Men's 100m - Preliminary round
• 13:15 - Women's 1500m - Heats
• 13:40 - Men's hammer throw - Qualification B
• 18:15 - Opening ceremony
• 19:02 - Men's 1500m - Heats
• 19:05 - Women's heptathlon - Shot put
• 19:10 - Men's discus throw - Qualification A
• 19:35 - Men's triple jump - Qualification
• 19:43 - Men's 100m - Heats
• 20:30 - Women's heptathlon - 200m
• 20:35 - Men's shot put - Final
• 20:40 - Men's discus throw - Qualification B
• 20:55 - Women's 10000m - Final
• 21:47 - Mixed 4x400m relay - Final

Day 2 - 20 August 2023 - Men's 100m final coincides with national celebrations in Hungary

The first Sunday of the Championships coincides with Hungary's State Foundation Day holiday, one of the biggest days of celebration in the country. Accordingly, events have been scheduled to start and finish earlier on the day before the evening's big festivities in the centre of Budapest.

Accordingly, on the track, the blue-riband men's 100m is sure to provide fireworks of another kind. Can Kerley retain his world crown? Teammate Noah Lyles will be looking to complete the first part of a 100-200 double, while new British record holder Zharnel Hughes and Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala will also hope to be in the mix.

The heptathlon concludes – although defending champion Nafi Thiam will not be competing having failed to recover from a recent Achilles issue. The men's hammer throw – in which Pawel Fajdek could win a sixth straight gold medal – and men's 10,000m are the other two finals on Day 2.

Day 2 schedule

All events at National Athletics Centre unless specified.

• 07:15 - Women's 20km race walk - Final (Heroes' Square)
• 09:00 - Women's discus throw - Qualification A
• 09:35 - Women's 400m - Heats
• 09:50 - Women's heptathlon - Long jump
• 10:25 - Men's 400m - Heats
• 10:30 - Women's discus throw - Qualification B
• 10:35 - Men's high jump - Qualification
• 11:25 - Men's 400m hurdles - Heats
• 12:00 - Women's heptathlon - Javelin throw A
• 12:10 - Women's 100m - Heats
• 13:05 - Men's 110m hurdles - Heats
• 13:05 - Women's heptathlon - Javelin throw B
• 16:35 - Men's 100m - Semi-finals
• 16:55 - Women's long jump - Final
• 17:05 - Women's 1500m - Semi-finals
• 17:35 - Men's 1500m - Semi-finals
• 17:50 - Men's hammer throw - Final
• 18:00 - Women's heptathlon - 800m (final)
• 18:25 - Men's 10000m - Final
• 19:10 - Men's 100m - Final

Day 3 - 21 August 2023 - Women's 100m final headlines third day

The women's 100m final provides perhaps more intrigue than the men's one the previous day. Shericka Jackson and defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce lead the Jamaican team, with Elaine Thompson-Herah only running in the relays. They will come up against Worlds debutant Sha'Carri Richardson, finally getting a chance to run for Team USA in a major championships.

Jackson and Richardson have the two fastest times in the world this year; Fraser-Pryce is looking for a sixth straight world title, which would equal the record for most world titles in a single event.

Three other medals will be awarded in the men's triple jump, men's discus throw – which looks like another Kristjan Ceh-Daniel Ståhl head-to-head – and the men's 110m hurdles, in which Grant Holloway will attempt to win a third consecutive world title after victories in 2019 and 2022.

Day 3 schedule

All events at National Athletics Centre.

• 18:40 - Women's pole vault - Qualification
• 18:50 - Women's 400m hurdles - Heats
• 19:35 - Men's 400m hurdles - Semi-finals
• 19:40 - Men's triple jump - Final
• 20:05 - Men's 110m hurdles - Semi-finals
• 20:30 - Men's discus throw - Final
• 20:35 - Women's 100m - Semi-finals
• 21:10 - Women's 400m - Semi-finals
• 21:40 - Men's 110m hurdles - Final
• 21:50 - Women's 100m - Final

Day 4 - 22 August 2023 - Faith Kipyegon bids for first part of double

The fourth day of action sees world record holder Faith Kipyegon bid for a third world title in the women's 1500m with Hassan among her rivals.

Lamecha Girma broke the 3000m steeplechase world record on the same night Kipyegon rewrote the history books in the 5000m in Paris, and the Ethiopian will bid to dethrone Olympic and reigning world champion Soufiane El Bakkali as the pair meet for the first time this season over obstacles.

While Kipyegon's incredible form this season makes anything possible, world records over middle and long distances are highly unlikely with no pacemakers in these championship fields.

Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim is also in men's high jump final action as the Qatari seeks a fourth successive world crown. The women's discus is the other title on offer on Day 4.

Day 4 schedule

All events at National Athletics Centre.

• 18:40 - Women's 100m hurdles - Heats
• 19:20 - Men's 800m - Heats
• 19:55 - Men's high jump - Final
• 20:20 - Women's discus throw - Final
• 20:25 - Women's 400m hurdles - Semi-final
• 21:00 - Men's 400m hurdles - Semi-final
• 21:30 - Women's 1500m - Final
• 21:42 - Men's 3000m steeplechase - Final

Day 5 - 23 August 2023 - Karsten Warholm to shine again?

World record holder Karsten Warholm should be in finals action today. The Norwegian, unbeaten in his last 12 races, will hope to regain his men's 400m hurdles world title after struggling with injury last season and failing to make the Worlds podium.

However, his counterpart world record holder in the women's 400m hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, will not be in 400m flat action. Having originally decided to focus on the flat, the American withdrew from the Championships citing a knee injury a week before the event began.

Before that, Warholm's comptatriot Jakob Ingebrigtsen is the favourite to claim the men's 1500m crown. Defending champion Jake Wightman is out through injury leaving  the European record holder and Olympic champion as the most likely winner.

Katie Moon and the rest of the women's pole vault field compete in the night's only field event final.

Day 5 schedule

All events at National Athletics Centre.

• 10:05 - Women's 800m - Heats
• 10:15 - Men's pole vault - Qualification
• 10:20 - Women's javelin throw - Qualification A
• 11:10 - Women's 5000m - Heats
• 11:15 - Men's long jump - Qualification
• 11:55 - Women's javelin throw - Qualification B
• 12:05 - Women's 200m - Heats
• 12:50 - Men's 200m - Heats
• 19:00 - Women's hammer throw - Qualification A
• 19:10 - Women's triple jump - Qualification
• 19:30 - Women's pole vault - Final
• 19:45 - Women's 3000m steeplechase - Heats
• 20:35 - Women's hammer throw - Qualification B
• 20:40 - Women's 100m hurdles - Semi-finals
• 21:15 - Men's 1500m - Final
• 21:35 - Women's 400m - Final
• 21:50 - Men's 400m hurdles - Final

Day 6 - 24 August 2023 - Is Wayde van Niekerk back to his best?

No fewer than seven gold medals will be awarded on the sixth day of competition in Budapest, beginning with the two 35km race walks in the morning.

The evening session is headlined by the men's 400m final, which could see Wayde van Niekerk's return to the very top. The South African world record holder has spent many years away from the world's best battling injuries, and now appears to be ready to challenge for titles once more although Olympic champion Steven Gardiner boasts the fastest time in the world this year.

Both women's 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles finals also take place this evening. Nigeria's reigning sprint hurdles world champion Tobi Amusan, who broke the world record in Eugene last year, is still awaiting clearance to compete as she fights an anti-doping rules violation for missing three tests in a year.

With McLaughlin-Levrone choosing to focus on the flat before eventually withdrawing altogether through injury, the path is clear for Femke Bol to claim her first major title in the one-lap hurdles event with the Dutchwoman one of the hottest favourites of these championships.

The night's other finals are in the men's long jump and women's hammer throw.

Day 6 schedule

All events at National Athletics Centre unless specified.

• 07:00 - Men's 35km race walk - Final (Heroes' Square)
• 07:00 - Women's 35km race walk - Final (Heroes' Square)
• 19:00 - Men's 5000m - Heats
• 19:30 - Men's long jump - Final
• 19:45 - Women's 200m - Semi-finals
• 20:15 - Women's hammer throw - Final
• 20:20 - Men's 200m - Semi-finals
• 20:50 - Men's 800m - Semi-finals
• 21:25 - Women's 100m hurdles - Final
• 21:35 - Men's 400m - Final
• 21:50 - Women's 400m hurdles - Final

Day 7 - 25 August 2023 - Dual 200m finals headline night, Rojas goes for more

The big finals of the day – and the only track finals – come in the respective 200m events. Jamaica's Shericka Jackson will be looking for back-to-back world titles, and potentially to add to any medal she might have already won in the 100m.

Likewise, Noah Lyles has openly spoken about going for a sprint treble in Budapest and the American will hope retaining his 200m title earns him the second of three golds with the relay to come.

Earlier in the evening, Yulimar Rojas gets the finals action underway in the women's triple jump. The defending champion and world record holder will hope conditions are perfect to help extend her world record closer to the magic 16-metre mark.

The other final of the day is the women's javelin where Australia's Kelsey-Lee Barber is eyeing a third consecutive world title.

Day 7 schedule

All events at National Athletics Centre.

• 10:05 - Men's decathlon - 100m
• 10:10 - Men's javelin throw - Qualification A
• 10:20 - Women's high jump - Qualification
• 10:55 - Men's decathlon - Long jump
• 11:45 - Men's javelin throw - Qualification B
• 12:20 - Men's decathlon - Shot put
• 18:30 - Men's decathlon - High jump
• 19:30 - Men's 4x100m relay - Heats
• 19:35 - Women's triple jump - Final
• 20:00 - Women's 4x100m relay - Heats
• 20:20 - Women's javelin throw - Final
• 20:25 - Women's 800m - Semi-finals
• 21:05 - Men's decathlon - 400m
• 21:40 - Women's 200m - Final
• 21:50 - Men's 200m - Final

Day 8 - 26 August 2023 - Duplantis's day to shine

Some eight events will be decided on the penultimate day of the Championships, including the highly anticipated men's pole vault. Defending champion Mondo Duplantis continues to challenge the limits of what is possible in the event and all eyes will be on him once more as the Swede seeks another world record.

There will be intrigue in the women's 5000m final as world record holder Faith Kipyegon bids for what could be her second gold of the championships, and the first of her career outside of the 1500m.

And there are the much-awaited 4x100m relay finals with Elaine Thompson-Herah likely to feature. The five-time Olympic gold medallist did not qualify in the individual races and this will be her only final, should Jamaica make it as expected.

Other finals in the evening include those in the women's shot put, men's 800m, and decathlon.

Before all of that, the morning begins with the women's marathon around the streets of Budapest.

Day 8 schedule

All events at National Athletics Centre unless specified.

• 07:00 - Women's marathon - Final (Heroes' Square)
• 10:05 - Men's decathlon - 110m hurdles
• 10:25 - Women's shot put - Qualification
• 11:00 - Men's decathlon - Discus throw A
• 12:05 - Men's decathlon - Discus throw B
• 14:00 - Men's decathlon - Pole vault
• 19:05 - Men's decathlon - Javelin throw A
• 19:25 - Men's pole vault - Final
• 19:30 - Men's 4x400m relay - Heats
• 19:55 - Women's 4x400m relay - Heats
• 20:10 - Men's decathlon - Javelin throw B
• 20:15 - Women's shot put - Final
• 20:30 - Men's 800m - Final
• 20:50 - Women's 5000m - Final
• 21:25 - Men's decathlon - 1500m (final)
• 21:40 - Men's 4x100m relay - Final
• 21:50 - Women's 4x100m relay - Final

Day 9 - 27 August 2023 - Championships conclude with last eight finals

Will Athing Mu take the start line to defend her women's 800m world title? The American has not yet decided if she will compete in Budapest – but if she does, she will renew rivalry with Keely Hodgkinson and Mary Moraa.

The men's javelin throw is also an interesting contest, with Anderson Peters bidding to rediscover his form after a disappointing season and complete a hat-trick of world titles. India's Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra is among the favourites.

Earlier in the morning, a new men's marathon world champion will be crowned, while the Championships will end with the 4x400m relays – the last chance to see national relay teams in high-level action until the 2024 World Athletics Relays, which will be a qualifying event for Paris 2024.

Also crowned on the final night will be the winners of the women's high jump, men's 5000m, and women's 3000m steeplechase.

Day 9 schedule

All events at National Athletics Centre unless specified.

• 07:00 - Men's marathon - Final (Heroes' Square)
• 20:05 - Women's high jump - Final
• 20:10 - Men's 5000m - Final
• 20:20 - Men's javelin throw - Final
• 20:45 - Women's 800m - Final
• 21:10 - Women's 3000m steeplechase - Final
• 21:37 - Men's 4x400m relay - Final
• 21:47 - Women's 4x400m relay - Final