In a surprising turn of events, an unexpected participant made waves during the Olympic women’s team sprint cross-country race. While athletes were competing in Tessero, a husky wandered onto the track, seemingly drawn to the sight of the skiers on the finishing straight.
With an enthusiastic burst, the dog dashed to the finish line, joining in amid cheers from the crowd, clearly reveling in the unplanned moment.
This two-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog, named Nazgul, belongs to an individual affiliated with the event, according to reports.
“He was extra vocal this morning, probably because he saw us leaving,” said the owner, who chose to remain anonymous. “He’s always looking for people.”
Despite the delightful distraction, the interference didn’t have a significant impact on the race—most of the athletes had already completed their laps.
Croatian skier Tena Hadzic noted, somewhat humorously, that she probably lost “a few seconds” to the dog, reflecting on her initial shock: “I thought, ‘Am I hallucinating? Should I be worried about being bitten?’”
Another skier, Konstantina Charalampidou from Greece, remarked, “The dog that crossed the line has made me a bit famous. Everyone wants to talk to me now.” She later described how the playful dog chased after the cameras during the finish, expressing a desire to pet him, but unfortunately missing that chance.
When the qualifying rounds concluded, Croatia placed 19th while Greece finished last at 26th, with only the top 15 teams moving on to the finals hours later.
In the final results, Sweden took home the gold with a time of 20 minutes 29.99 seconds, followed by Switzerland with silver (20:31.29), and Germany snagging bronze (20:35.86). The USA team rounded out the competition, finishing fifth with a time of 20:41.53.
