Local dog makes unexpected Olympic bid at Milano Cortina 2026 with photo finish

A Czechoslovakian wolfdog has made an unexpected bid for Olympic glory, running alongside skiers towards the finish line of the cross-country race course in Tesero, Italy.

The two-year-old, named Nazgul, made the unexpected Milano Cortina 2026 appearance during the heats for the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free on Wednesday morning (evening AEDT) and was even snapped crossing the finish line in impressive style.

The crowd cheered him on and the internet erupted when the four-legged competitor was spotted on TV. Olympians were a little more confused by the incident.

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Nazgul was striding up behind Croatian skier Tena Hadzic, 21, who later told press she thought she was "hallucinating".

"I don't know what I should do, because maybe he could attack me, bite me," Hadzic said.

While it could have been dangerous if the dog got caught with any of the skiers, everything ended without incident.

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Race organisers captured Nazgul after he crossed the finish line, with the hound unable to advance further in the women's contest.

Venue officials initially thought the incident resulted from a violation of the venue's strict no‑pets policy for spectators before realising the dog lived locally and made an escape to the race course.

Nazgul's owners, who operate a nearby bed-and-breakfast, labelled him "stubborn, but very sweet".

They told NPR they believe he left the doghouse trying to chase after them when they left home to attend a biathlon event.

"He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving – and I think he just wanted to follow us," the owner, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the publication.

Greek athlete Konstantina Charalampidou laughed about the incident after the race.

"I became famous with a dog that came across the finish line, and everyone wants to interview me now," she told press.

"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."

Hadzic said the incident cost her a few seconds as she reacted to Nazgul's appearance but said it wasn't the end of the world in the qualifying round.

"It's not that big deal, because I'm not fighting for medals or anything big," she said.

"But if that happened in the finals, it could really cost someone the medals, or a really good result."

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