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The finishers in the Olympic women’s team sprint cross-country race in Tesero on Wednesday did not just include humans, but a dog too.
As the last few athletes wrapped up 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 initially took in the scene as it entered the course and only took off toward the finish line once 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 wanders on the ski trail during the women’s team cross-country free sprint qualification event of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero, Val di Fiemme, Italy. Feb. 18, 2026. (Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP via Getty Images)
“He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving — and I think he just wanted to follow us,” the owners, who were granted anonymity, told NPR. “He always looks 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. The timekeepers even captured a picture 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 skiing team sprint free at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Tesero, Italy. Feb. 18, 2026. (Olympic Broadcasting Services via AP)
While 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 was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?'” Croatian skier Tena Hadzic said, according to NPR. “I don’t know what I should do, because maybe he could attack me, bite me.”
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A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women’s team cross-country free sprint qualification event of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero, Val di Fiemme, Italy. Feb. 18, 2026. (Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP via Getty Images)
Hadzic did say that she likely lost 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.
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