A local dog named Nazgul made an unauthorised sprint on the cross-country course at the Winter Olympics in Tesero on Wednesday, briefly joining the women's team sprint qualifying race before being captured by officials.
The two-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog, who lives at a nearby hotel, dashed behind Croatia's Tena Hadzic as she approached the finish line. Hadzic said she was initially unsure how to react, wondering if the dog might attack or bite her, but later took the incident in her stride, noting it could have been more serious in a medal race.
Greece's Konstantina Charalampidou observed that Nazgul seemed more interested in chasing a camera than executing a race strategy, describing him as cute and non-aggressive. She expressed a desire to pet him but could not find him afterwards.
Nazgul's owner told NPR that the dog was likely seeking company rather than athletic glory, having cried more than usual that morning when left behind. Even if Nazgul had completed the entire race, his time would not have counted due to being male and a dog.
