Photos: Wolfdog joins race, crosses finish line at Olympic ski event
Nazghul, a Czechoslovakian wolfdog, crosses the finish line during the women’s cross-country skiing team sprint at the winter games in Milano Cortina on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 (OMEGA SA)
A wolfdog in Italy wasn’t going to let Olympic skiers have all the fun Wednesday during the women’s cross-country skiing team sprint at the winter games in Milano Cortina.
The dog ran onto the course during the live competition, causing a cute spectacle as it dashed across the finish line and stole the spotlight.
Wolfdog joins Olympic ski event
The dog, a Czechoslovakian wolfdog named "Nazghul" in reference to the "Lord of the Rings" films, was on a walk with its owner before it escaped into the race course, according to ESPN.
A wolfdog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (
Nazghul joined the race without interrupting the competition, apparently "chasing the camera that goes up and down the finish line," Greek Olympian Konstantina Charalampidou said.
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What they're saying:
"He was cute but not aggressive. I wanted to pet him, but I didn't have the time and I couldn't find him afterwards," Charalampidou said.
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"Eventually, the invader was brought under control, but not before crossing the finish line and being automatically recorded" by OMEGA’s Scan’O’Vision camera, an OMEGA spokesperson said.
A wolfdog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (
Who really won?
Dig deeper:
Although Nazghul was an obvious fan favorite, Sweden's Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist took the gold medal in the event, according to the Olympics. Nadja Kaelin and Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland won silver, while Germany’s Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek got the bronze medal.
The Source: This report includes information from the Olympics official website, ESPN and OMEGA.