“We have a visitor. Maybe not a streaker, but we certainly have somebody who wants to be part of the Olympic action,” one of the broadcasters commented.
WASHINGTON — A surprise four-legged competitor became an instant fan-favorite Wednesday at a cross-country ski competition at the Winter Olympics.
During qualifications for the women’s team sprint, a dog suddenly appeared toward the end of the course and even raced a couple of skiers to the line.
“We have a visitor. Maybe not a streaker, but we certainly have somebody who wants to be part of the Olympic action,” one of the broadcasters commented.
“The biggest cheer of the day is not for any of the skiers so far,” they added.
The dog, which had a collar around its neck, didn’t seem to impact any of the competitors, and it casually walked off the course after crossing the line. The event’s chief of competition later came over to wrangle the guest.
The broadcasters had a lot of fun with the moment, even showing a slow-motion replay and the photo finish image.
According to NPR, the dog was later identified as two-year-old Nazgul, who was staying with his owner at a nearby bed-and-breakfast. The owner told NPR Nazgul is a “stubborn, but very sweet” Czechoslovakian wolfdog.
Plus, the puns wrote themselves.
“It’s not a canine calamity,” a broadcaster remarked.
“This is a real photo from the Winter Olympics,” one social media user wrote, alongside the dog’s photo finish image.
“It was so fun. I like dogs, we have a dog at home,” said Sweden’s Jonna Sundling, who went on to win gold with teammate Maja Dahlqvist, according to Reuters.
But not all of the skiers were as excited by the new medal hopeful.
“I was cooling down on the bike, and I saw the dog, and I was like, ‘That’s crazy,'” Nadja Kaelin of Switzerland said. “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.”