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The finalists in the women’s Olympic team sprint in Tesero on Wednesday included not only humans but also a dog.
As the last few athletes finished their race, a dog wandered onto the course and sprinted across the finish line with them, much to the delight of the crowd. The dog first took the stage when it entered the course and only took off for the finish line when it noticed the racers.
The dog’s name is Nazgul, and his owners are related to an event official, according to NPR. Nazgul is a 2-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog.
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A dog walks on the ski track during the women’s cross-country free sprint qualification event at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Lago di Tesero, Val di Fiemme, Italy. 18 February 2026. (Anne-Christine POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)
“He was crying more than usual this morning because he saw us go — and I think he just wanted to follow us,” the owners, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NPR. “He’s always looking for people.”
Nazgul’s surprise appearance did not appear to have any major effect on the race as the top medal contenders had already crossed the finish line. Timekeepers even captured a photo of the dog crossing the finish line.
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In this image taken from video provided by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), a dog runs onto the track near the finish during the heats of the women’s cross country team sprint free at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy. 18 February 2026. (Olympic Broadcasting Services via AP)
Although the Nazgul’s appearance on the track did not have a major impact on the race, it did have an impact on the racers’ mental state.
“I thought, ‘Am I hallucinating?'” Croatian skier Tena Hadzic said, according to NPR. “I don’t know what to do because maybe he could attack me, bite me.”
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A dog walks on the ski track during the women’s team cross-country free sprint qualifying event at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Lago di Tesero, Val di Fiemme, Italy. 18 February 2026. (Anne-Christine POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Hadzic said she probably dropped a few seconds because she was so thrown off, but said it wasn’t that big of a deal because she wasn’t in medal contention.
