Athletics at the 1959 World Festival of Youth and Students

Mainly contested among Eastern European athletes, it served as an alternative to the more Western European-oriented 1959 Universiade held in Turin the same year.

[1] Four reigning men's champions from the 1958 European Athletics Championships were present at the competition: high jumper Richard Dahl, long jumper Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, javelin thrower Janusz Sidło and discus thrower Edmund Piątkowski (the latter a world record holder at the time).

[1] In the women's competition, Vera Krepkina did a 100 metres/long jump double and she became Olympic champion in the latter event a year later.

The emerging Tamara Press dominated the shot put and discus throw (a year later she became an Olympic champion in both disciplines).

Iolanda Balaș, reigning European champion at the time, retained her high jump title for a fourth straight UIE win.