Every dog has its day, especially one dog who somehow ended up on the women’s cross-country course and crossed the finish line at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday.
The pup – who did not qualify for the team sprint qualifiers – crashed the event anyway NBC’s coverage of the match captured him poking his head over a hill and continuing down the track, pausing to look at a nearby camera.
He avoided running into the Olympic athletes and eventually Omega SA’s camera captured him doing so crossed the finish line.
Moments later, he was seen sniffing at least one skier before trotting off behind a fence, where he was taken into the care of race officials, hopefully to get a treat for his “pawdium”-worthy performance.
The dog was later identified as a two-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfhound breed named Nazgul, a nod to the “Lord of the Rings” franchise. according to ESPNwhich cited several media reports about the puppy.
Croatian skier Tena Hadzic, who encountered Nazgul on the trail, said she wondered if she was “hallucinating” when she peeked at the dog during the event.
Nazgul’s owner, who was granted anonymity in an interview with NPRdescribed their dog as ‘stubborn, but very sweet’.
“He cried more than usual this morning because he saw us leaving — and I think he just wanted to follow us,” they told the outlet.
“He’s always looking for people.”
NBC’s X account for the Games later shared an excerpt with several comments from his new fans, along with an image claiming he had won gold at the ‘Good Boy Olympics’.
See more reactions to Nazgul’s scene-stealing performance at the Winter Olympics below.
