The athletes were not the only ones chasing glory at the Winter Olympics this week. During the women’s cross-country team sprint event in Tesero, Italy, a two-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul slipped away from his owner during a morning walk and somehow found his way directly onto the Olympic race course, casually joining the world’s best skiers as they powered hard toward the finish line. The crowd erupted into what live commentators described as the biggest cheer of the entire day, not for any medal contender, but for one big shaggy and tail-wagging dog who had absolutely no idea he had just crashed one of the most watched and celebrated sporting events on the entire planet. Race officials quickly and safely returned Nazgul to his family, who live very close to the venue, and the organizing committee confirmed that the competition was never interrupted or affected in any way.
Skiers who crossed the finish line then found themselves greeted by an enthusiastic and very curious furry face sniffing around the finish area, which led to some genuinely priceless reactions from the athletes themselves. One skier admitted she thought she might be hallucinating mid-race, while others simply burst out laughing at the completely unexpected company running right alongside them. Nazgul’s owner later told reporters that the dog had been crying that very morning as the family left for the Games, and they believed he simply decided on the spot that he was not going to be left behind. The heartwarming moment has since lit up social media all around the world, with fans calling it the most wholesome Olympic memory in years and playfully demanding that dogs be given their very own official event at future Games.
