A somersault, a handstand, a cartwheel and five pushups. That's how Lunani the giraffe, captain of the World Athletics Relays Silesia21 mascot relay, presented herself at a press conference today to mark the event’s 100 days to go landmark. Lunani of course, owes her dexterity to one great athlete, Piotr Lisek, who was wearing the mascot’s costume. For obvious reasons, the star pole vaulter will not be competing at the Relays, but he has been named an ambassador of the event.

“It's about the power of the team, and there's just one single Polish team,” said Lisek, the national record holder with 6.02m and the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist. “It will be the sprinters competing in Chorzów on the first weekend of May, but all of us field eventers will keep our fingers crossed for our colleagues from the Polish national team. It is, after all, their chance of earning Olympic qualification.” 

More support will come from the other mascots: Maji the cheetah, Sprinter the ostrich and Julian the lemur. All four are residents of the Silesian Zoo which stands next to Silesian Stadium, the venue for the meeting, and can be visited daily where their residences are labelled with information on the mascot and the competition. The World Athletics Relays Silesia21 has been supporting all four animals. Maji, Sprinter and Julian, like Lunani, will also be the models for the mascot costumes, aimed at entertaining the participants in the competition.