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An unexpected four-legged guest appeared at the finish line of Wednesday’s women’s team sprint race at the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.
As the last runners approached the finish line, a dog darted onto the track and crossed the line with them, delighting the crowd. The Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul lingered for a moment after entering the track and only headed toward the finish line when he noticed the runners.
Nazgul’s owners, later revealed to be the Varesco family, are related to an event official, according to NPR.
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Nazgul, the dog who broke into the Nordic combined sprint team, cross country, at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, photographed at his home in Tesero, Italy, on February 20, 2026. (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach)
“This morning he was crying more than usual because he saw us leaving, and I think he just wanted to follow us,” one of the owners told NPR earlier this week. “He’s always looking for people.”
Alice Varesco recalled the chaotic moment. “We were on the train to Anterselva to watch the biathlon,” Varesco told Reuters. “We were three hours from home when some friends started sending us videos. That was the moment of panic. We realized there was nothing we could do.”
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At first, some viewers probably mistook the silver-gray Nazgul for a wolf. Later, an official photo revealed the truth to Alice and Ernesto Varesco.
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)
“Worry, sure,” Alice said of her first reaction. “In fact, he was with us all day. Even after we were told he was safe, we kept thinking about what could have gone wrong.”
It was the first time Nazgul escaped from the house on his own. The Varescos said he probably didn’t want to be left behind while they attended the biathlon and repeatedly pressed a lever that opened the door.
“I think he wanted to look for us because he’s used to… going in that direction with us when we go for a walk,” Alice said. “He likes to stay with his crew.”
In this image taken from a 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 Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy. February 18, 2026. (Olympic broadcast services via AP)
Nazgul’s surprise appearance did not appear to have any major effect on the sporting event itself, as the leading medal contenders had already crossed the finish line.
Officials caught Nazgul inside the venue and he returned home within half an hour.
While the surprise appearance on the track didn’t have a huge impact on the race, it at least had a brief impact on one competitor’s mental state. “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.”
