A runaway Czechoslovakian wolfdog made an Olympic-sized entrance this week after sprinting onto the homestretch of a Milano Cortina 2026 cross-country ski race, an unscripted moment of chaos and comedy that briefly stopped hearts, then won them.
For a few seconds, athletes and fans were not watching skis or split times, but a furry interloper with zero regard for race protocol and a whole lot of main-character energy, as officials moved quickly to make sure the surprise guest didn’t turn into a real safety issue.
The two-year-old, named Nazgul, had broken free from his doghouse on Wednesday, February 18th, morning and bounded onto the course in the middle of a team sprint qualifier, leaving competitors stunned and viewers around the world utterly delighted. The timing was so wild it felt unreal, especially for Croatian skier Tena Hadzic, 21, who suddenly found herself sharing the track with an eager, fast-moving wolfdog and trying to decide, mid-race, whether this was adorable, alarming, or both at once.
Croatian skier Tena Hadzic, 21, could not believe her eyes when she spotted the excitable interloper mid-race. She told NPR, “I was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?’. I don’t know what I should do, because maybe he could attack me, bite me.” Fortunately, the only thing Nazgul appeared interested in chasing was a bit of attention.
Race officials were quick to collar the adventurous pup and return him safely to his home at a nearby bed-and-breakfast before the situation snowballed.
The mischievous canine, described by his owner as a “stubborn, but very sweet” Czechoslovakian wolfdog, had reportedly been crying more than usual that morning as his family left to watch an Olympic biathlon event at another venue. His owner explained, “He was seeing us leaving, and I think he just wanted to follow us. He always looks for people.”
© AFP via Getty ImagesWhile Nazgul’s saunter down the track did not derail the competition, the top medal contenders had already completed their runs, and Hadzic admitted the surprise encounter likely cost her “some seconds.” She said, “It’s not that big deal, because I’m not fighting for medals or anything big. But if that happened in the finals, it could really cost someone the medals.”
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