Women’s cross-country skiing is usually an endurance test where athletes push their bodies to the limits and fight just to make it to the finish line.

As our Brandon Morse mentioned on Wednesday, though, things got a little more exciting than usual when a spry competitor jumped into the race uninvited. He hadn’t qualified for the event, so it was certainly unusual.

His name is Nazgul, and he’s a two-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog with some serious skills. The escape artist got loose while on a walk with his owners, who are related to an Olympic official (video starts four seconds in):

DOG ON THE COURSE AT OLYMPIC SKIING. ?

The late entry closes strong at the cross country finish line! pic.twitter.com/o4mO28tXXW

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 18, 2026

Hot dawg! The crowd — and the announcers — ate it up:

As skiers reached the end of the Wednesday, February 18, event, a dog found its way onto the course and crossed the finish line. “Racing to the line there, the crowd clearly enjoying this,” one commentator quipped in a clip of the race shared via the NBC’s Olympics social media pages. A second commentator joked, “The biggest cheer of the day is not for any of the skiers so far.”

Many thought Nazgul should get a medal, or at least a really high-end treat:

Nazgul started the day as just another Italian dog. He'll end it as a #WinterOlympics legend. ? pic.twitter.com/50H3OWpa8q

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 18, 2026

The powerful pooch didn’t interfere with the competition, and no results were affected. In fact, the athletes didn't even complain. It shows once again that so many people love dogs, and really, really don’t like those who mistreat them:

IT’S A DOG’S LIFE: Dogs Continue to Win the PR Battle Against Islam by Just Being Dogs

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Trivia alert: the Nazgûl are nine kings of men who were given Rings of Power in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  They’re also known as the Black Riders.

A dog named Nazgûl??! Love it! pic.twitter.com/7BZlYGdD2p

— Steven ?? (@SirStevenKJ) February 18, 2026

Croatian skier Tena Hadzic saw the furry racer on the course and was thrown for a loop: “I was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?'” she joked. “I don’t know what I should do, because maybe he could attack me, bite me.” 

Yeah, but maybe he made you ski faster?

Nazgul, who was described by his owner as “stubborn, but very sweet,” was safely returned to his home and is said to be in excellent condition. "He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving — and I think he just wanted to follow us," the owners said in an interview. "He always looks for people."

He’s not the first dog to become a legend at an Italian ski race: this guy really shook things up at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Super-G race held in Bormio, Italy, in 2022. 

So many Italian ?? dogs are legends ? pic.twitter.com/8wpaHunhVz

— Happy Bull Trader (@HappyBullTrader) February 18, 2026

Don't stop him now!

With a few lessons, I think that doggo could set a new Super-G record. In the meantime, thank you, Nazgul, for keeping the Olympic spirit alive!

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