Dog Sprints Across Olympic Finish Line, Steals Show at Cross-Country Event

"The dog is faster than Jonna Sundling."

An unexpected star emerged at the cross-country skiing venue of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. It wasn't an athlete racing toward the finish line—it was a large dog.

During the women's team sprint qualifier at Tesero Cross-Country Ski Stadium in Italy on Sunday, spectators and broadcasters suddenly turned their attention to a dog that had bolted onto the track just as athletes were making their final push.

As Croatia's Tena Hadzic crossed the finish line in 19th place, a Czech Wolfhound that had been chasing close behind crossed with her. Laughter and cheers erupted simultaneously near the finish line, where exhausted athletes lay collapsed after the grueling race.

"That's the biggest cheer of the day, and it's not for an athlete," broadcasters quipped. "We need to find whoever lost their dog. The dog is faster than Sundling." Sweden's Jonna Sundling, referenced in the joke, won the qualifier and went on to claim gold in the final.

Reuters reported that the dog "started running alongside competitors near the finish line, paused briefly to sniff around, then overtook the athletes and crossed the finish line." Some spectators rose from their seats and applauded, enjoying the unexpected participant's sprint.

The dog's name is Nazgûl. In an interview with NPR, the owner explained the name comes from the evil spirits in "The Lord of the Rings." "Nazgûl is a two-year-old who's stubborn but very lovable," the owner said. "She cried more than usual when she saw us leaving for the venue, so we brought her along. She loves people and follows them well."

Athletes couldn't hide their amusement at the unexpected scene. Gold medalist Sundling said, "It was really funny. It looked like the dog wanted to get into the mixed zone too, which made me laugh." Greece's Konstantina Charalampidou added, "I wasn't feeling great, but it helped me forget about the race. I tried to find the dog later to pet it, but it had already disappeared."

Though Nazgûl won't appear in official results, the dog left another memento. Omega, the official Olympic timekeeper, captured a photo-finish image of Nazgûl crossing the finish line—right front paw fully extended in an all-out sprint.