It is the photo finish that is already one of the most famous in Olympic history.
Nazgul, a Czech wolfdog, became an unexpected star of the Winter Games when he broke through security and onto the course, bounding down the finishing straight to huge cheers from a delighted crowd.
Havingcrossed the official finish line alongside some of the competitors, the dog even mingled with the Olympic athletes, making a particular beeline for the Argentina skier Nahiara Diaz Gonzalez. “I thought, ‘What on earth is a dog doing here?’” she said.
It had no impact on the racing, with the 2-year-old canine even triggering Omega’s official finishing line camera to end up with a souvenir photograph.
The incident occurred during the women’s qualifying race for the team sprint cross country in Tesero, with Nazgul suddenly appearing at the side of the course before joining competitors from Croatia and Australia as they finished. He was the 20th across the line, human or canine, just in front of the Ukraine team, but as he had not completed the full event he missed out on qualification for the final.
Nazgul’s owners later revealed that he had escaped from their nearby home in the Dolomites. “He just disappeared, ran away from home,” they told Norwegian newspaper VG. “He is a very kind dog. Very stubborn, very sweet and very social. He always seeks contact with people. He doesn’t hurt people.” The name Nazgul derives from J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novel The Lord of the Rings.
There were mixed reactions from the racers. Sweden’s Jonna Sundling, who later won gold with team-mate Maja Dahlqvist, said that she thought Nazgul “was cute”. “It was so fun,” she said. “I like dogs. When it came to the finish line I was like, ‘Okay we have a new member’.”
Her competitor, Norwegian Astrid Oyre Slind, who finished fifth, said: “A dog is my least problem, a Swede is my biggest.”
Croatia’s Tena Hadzic, however, feared that Nasgul was a wolf. “At first I thought it was a wolf, and that I was hallucinating because of the strenuous race,” she said. “It was extremely large, and as I ran past it, I was afraid it might bite me. It’s not a big deal since I’m not competing for a medal. But if that had happened in the final, where medals are at stake, it could have been dangerous.”
A dog on the trail during the cross-country team sprint at Lago di Tesero during the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina 2026. Photo / NTB via AFP
Nadja Kaelin, of the silver medal-winning Switzerland team, added: “I was cooling down on the bike, and I saw the dog and I was like, ‘That’s crazy’ and I was just happy I wasn’t skiing next to the dog because I’m a bit afraid of dogs. I was happy I was already at the finish.”
Greece’s Konstantina Charalampidou was less concerned. “Luckily, he was very well-behaved,” she said. “He followed the camera on the finishing straight, was cute, and thankfully didn’t disrupt the race. It was funny. He made me forget about the race. Thanks to him, I’m famous so I have to thank him.”
The American skier Lindsey Vonn, meanwhile, revealed that her beloved dog Leo had died on the day after her horror crash in the women’s downhill at the Winter Olympics.
Vonn suffered a complex leg fracture after clipping a gate just 13 seconds into her attempt to regain the Olympic downhill title. She underwent four operations in Italy before returning to the United States. In a post on Instagram, Vonn paid tribute to 13-year-old Leo. “This has been an incredibly hard few days,” she said. “Probably the hardest of my life. I have still not come to terms that he is gone.
“The day I crashed, so did Leo, He had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer but now his heart was failing him. As I laid in my hospital bed the day after my crash, we said goodbye to my big boy. I had lost so much that meant something to me in such a short amount of time. Heading in for more surgery today. Will be thinking of him when I close my eyes.”
