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Among the finalists in Wednesday’s women’s Olympic team sprint race in Tesero were not only humans, but also a dog.
As the last athletes finished their race, a dog entered the track and ran across the finish line with them, much to the delight of the crowd. The dog initially observed the scene as he entered the race and only headed toward the finish line once he noticed the runners.
The dog’s name is Nazgul and its owners are related to an event official, according to NPR. Nazgul is a 2-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog.
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A dog wanders across the ski slope during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games women’s cross-country free sprint qualification event at the Tesero Cross-Country Ski Stadium in Lago di Tesero, Val di Fiemme, Italy. February 18, 2026. (Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP via Getty Images)
“This morning he was crying more than usual because he saw us leaving, and I think he just wanted to follow us,” the owners, who were granted 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 leading medal contenders had already crossed the finish line. The 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 line during the women’s cross-country ski team free sprint heats at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy. February 18, 2026. (Olympic broadcast services via AP)
While Nazgul’s appearance on the track didn’t have a huge impact on the race, it did have an impact on the mental state of the runners.
“I thought, ‘Am I hallucinating?'” Croatian skier Tena Hadzic said, according to NPR. “I don’t know what I should do, because maybe it could attack me, bite me.”
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A dog wanders across the ski slope during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games women’s cross-country free sprint qualification event at the Tesero Cross-Country Ski Stadium in Lago di Tesero, Val di Fiemme, Italy. February 18, 2026. (Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP via Getty Images)
Hadzic said she probably lost a few seconds because she was so taken aback, but said it wasn’t a big deal because she wasn’t in medal contention.
