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An unexpected four-legged guest made an appearance at the finish line of the women’s team sprint cross-country race Wednesday at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
As the last runners neared the finish, a dog ran onto the course and crossed the line with them, delighting the crowd. The Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul lingered momentarily after entering the track and only took off toward the finish line after noticing the runners.
Nazgul’s owners, later revealed to be the Varesco family, are linked to an official at the event, according to NPR.
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Nazgul, the dog who competed in the Nordic combined and cross-country team sprint at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, pictured at his home in Tesero, Italy, February 20, 2026. (Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach)
“He was crying this morning more than usual because he saw us leaving — and I think he just wanted to follow us,” one of the owners told NPR earlier this week. “He’s always looking for people.”
Alice Varesco recalled this chaotic moment. “We were on the train to Anterselva to watch the biathlon,” Varesco told Reuters. “We were three hours away from home when friends started sending us videos. It was the moment of panic. We realized there was nothing we could do.”
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At first, some onlookers probably mistook the silver-gray Nazgul for a wolf. An official arrival photo later revealed the truth to Alice and Ernesto Varesco.
A dog wanders on the ski slope during the women’s cross-country team sprint freestyle qualifying event of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Lago di Tesero, Val di Fiemme, Italy. February 18, 2026. (Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP via Getty Images)
“Worry, of course,” Alice said of her first reaction. “In fact, he was with us all day. Even after they told us he was safe, we kept thinking about what could have gone wrong.”
It was the first time that Nazgul escaped from the house on his own. The Varescos said he probably didn’t want to be left behind while they watched the biathlon and repeatedly pressed a lever that opened the door.
“He wanted to look for us, I think, because he has a habit of… going in that direction with us when we’re walking,” Alice explained. “He likes to stay with his crew.”
In this image taken from video provided by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), a dog runs on the track near the finish during the women’s cross-country ski team’s sprint freestyle heats at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy. February 18, 2026. (Olympic Broadcast Services via AP)
Nazgul’s surprise appearance did not appear to have had any major effect on the sporting event itself as the top medal contenders had already crossed the finish line.
Authorities arrested Nazgul inside the room and he was home within half an hour.
While the surprise appearance on the track didn’t have a major impact on the race, it did at least briefly impact a competitor’s mental state. “I thought, ‘Am I hallucinating?'” Croatian skier Tena Hadzic said, according to NPR. “I don’t know what I should do, because maybe he might attack me, bite me.”
