ESPOO, Finland—The year 2023 has been kind to Simon Wulff.

Wulff, racing for his native Germany, advanced to the 200-meter semifinals at the U23 European Championships with a time of 21.05 on Saturday at Leppävaara Stadium.

The rising junior at Northwestern State finished third in his heat to move on to Sunday morning's semifinals. The top two in each of the five heats as well as the next six best times reach the semifinals.

If Wulff were to advance to the finals in the event, the finals are held Sunday evening.

Israel's Blessing Akwasi Afrifah ran the fastest time in not only Wulff's heat, but the entire quarterfinals with a 20.65. Wulff is the lone member of his country to earn a spot in the semis.

Coming out of heat three, Mikkel Johansson wasn't able to advance to the semifinals, running a 21.68, representing his home country of Denmark.

Both athletes also competed in the 4x100 relays for their respective countries. Johansson's Demark team ran a 40.38, finishing fourth in its heat, while Wulff's German team did not finish.

Denmark was unable to qualify, as the top two from each of the three heats advanced to the finals, as well as the next two best times. The finals also took place Saturday, as Italy took home the gold with a 38.92, narrowly defeating France by less than a hundredth of a second. Poland grabbed the bronze.