The 2026 Winter Olympics recently witnessed a moment that won’t be remembered for medals and positions. A local wolfdog, named Nazgul, joined a cross-country skiing sprint, garnering the attention and cheers of the crowd.
On February 18, during the women’s team cross-country free sprint qualifiers, when Team Croatia’s Tena Hadzic and Argentina’s Nahiara Diaz Gonzalez were competing, a 2-year-old Czechoslovakian dog ran onto the course. He was running alongside the competitors, and for a few seconds, confusion filled the track. However, a slight panic among the athletes, officials, and others quickly shifted to a heartwarming moment.
The dog matched the pace of the skiers and raced the homestretch as if he were trained for it. The cameras followed him, and the audience burst into cheers. After he crossed the finish line, Nazgul was safely captured by the officials, and reportedly, shortly after the moment, he was returned to his owner.
Videos of the incident are making rounds all over the internet. Local officials later confirmed that the dog belongs to a nearby resident and had escaped.
How did Nazgul get to the Winter Olympics’ cross-country skiing track?
After Nazgul charmed almost everyone present at the event, his owners were informed about his presence on the Olympic tracks. His owners were on the way to watch an Olympic biathlon event at another event, and amid this, one of their connections in the event officials connected them with media for a brief conversation about Nazgul.
Revealing how the sweet dog reached the tracks, his owner said:
“He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving, and I think he just wanted to follow us. He always looks for people,” said the owner to NPR.
They added:
“Nazgul is a stubborn, but very sweet dog.”
What did the competing athletes say about the moment at the Winter Olympics’ cross-country skiing qualifiers?
After the unexpected yet sweet moment that occurred during the cross-country skiing qualifiers at the Winter Olympics, the skiers Hadzic, Diaz Gonzalez, and Greece’s Konstantina Charalampidou shared their takes on the moment.
The Croatian skier revealed that initially she couldn’t believe that it was real and said that she panicked a little. Highlighting how it could have affected the skiers if it had been a final event, she said:
“I was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?’ I don’t know what I should do, because maybe he could attack me, bite me. It’s not that big deal, because I’m not fighting for medals or anything big. But if that happened in the finals, it could really cost someone the medals, or a really good result,” said Hadzic.
Along with her, Argentina’s Diaz Gonzalez was also on the track, while Nazgul ran onto the course. Revealing how ecstatic she was after witnessing the unusual moment, she said:
“He was super happy crossing the finish line. I was so focused on finishing the race that I didn’t look at the dog. It was just a fun experience. This is not normal. I don’t know what he was doing here. But the finish was not a problem. Luckily, it went well.”
Sharing details about what the scene looked like when the 2-year-old dog started racing with the skiers, Charalampidou said:
“He was chasing the camera that goes up and down the finish line. 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.”
Along with these players, others, including Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist and Jonna Sundling, who already completed their heats, also weighed in on this incident at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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