Olympics 2026: Dog Unexpectedly Crashes Cross-Country Ski Race

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This dog deserves a round of a-paws!

During the women’s cross-country skiing team sprint free race at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics on February 18th, a Czechoslovakian wolfdog unexpectedly appeared near the finish line.

The video shows a dog enthusiastically chasing after the skiers. While he didn’t win, he did complete the race and surprised the Olympic athletes at the finish line, leaving them understandably puzzled by his unexpected arrival.

You won’t believe what happened after a recent ski race! As a lifestyle expert, I’m always talking about unexpected moments, and this takes the cake. Croatian skier Tena Hadzic actually thought she was seeing things when a wild animal ran onto the course after she finished. She told reporters she was genuinely worried it might attack her – can you imagine the shock? It was a truly bizarre and slightly scary experience for her, and a reminder that nature always keeps things interesting!

Argentinian skier Nahiara Díaz González was also surprised by the dog on the course, telling CNN, “He seemed really happy to finish! I was concentrating so much on my own race that I didn’t even notice him.”

“It was just a good time,” said 22-year-old Nahiara. “This isn’t something that usually happens. I’m not sure why he was there, but the ending turned out fine. Thankfully, everything worked out well.”

Swedish skier Maja Dahlqvist, who won the race with teammate Jonna Sundling, told CNN she was just as surprised by the unexpected turn of events as everyone else, calling it “something I had never seen ever before. Kind of crazy.”

After briefly causing a stir, the dog was safely caught by race officials and reunited with his owners. It turns out this wasn’t his first time at the event – he’s a popular local pet! He belongs to an Olympic official who discovered the 2-year-old pup simply didn’t want to be left at home.

The dog’s owner explained to NPR that he was unusually upset this morning when they were leaving, likely because he wanted to come with them. The owner described him as “stubborn, but very sweet” and said he managed to escape from the house shortly after they left, as he’s always searching for people.

Fortunately, the storm, Nazgul, didn’t affect the qualifying race. The skiers were relieved it didn’t happen at a more important time.

The unexpected appearance of a dog during her race wasn’t a major concern for 21-year-old Tena, as she wasn’t competing for top honors, she told NPR. While it might have slowed her down by a few seconds, she pointed out that such an interruption in a final race could seriously impact someone’s chance of winning a medal or achieving a strong result.

For more noteworthy moments from the 2026 Olympics, keep reading…

Ilia Malinin, the American figure skater nicknamed “Quad God,” surprisingly fell during his free skate performance, which resulted in an eighth-place finish.

German bobsledder Laura Nolte prepares before a training session for the monobob, which is a one-person bobsleigh race for women.

After the women’s snowboard halfpipe event, Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi took a photo with Chloe Kim from Team USA and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono. The picture was taken with a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition phone.

Nika Egadze, a Georgian figure skater, took a photo with Simone Biles, the most decorated Olympic gymnast ever, while at the men’s figure skating competition.

A cameraman captured a heartwarming moment as U.S. skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin embraced after completing their second run in the women’s team combined slalom competition.

Biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot of France playfully posed with the plush mascots, Milo and Tina, from the Milan-Cortina Olympics. She received the stuffed toys after winning a silver medal in the women’s 15km individual biathlon event.

After completing the super-G race, skier Dmytro Shepiuk wrote a message of support to his Ukrainian compatriots on a sticky note.

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto is surprised by her score in the women’s singles free skating team event.

Speedskater Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands cried tears of joy after discovering she’d broken the Olympic record in the women’s 1,000-meter race.

China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freestyle slopestyle—which earned her a silver medal.

After his performance in the men’s singles short program, American skater Maxim Naumov held a photo of his parents, who have passed away, close to his heart.

A composite image shows off the many tricks seen in the women’s freestyle slopestyle. 

Figure skater Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland celebrated her performance with teammates, holding up a stuffed pierogi – a popular and iconic Polish food.

No, it’s Team Austria’s ski jumper Julia Muehlbacher.

Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp of Austria zoom by during the luge women’s doubles.

Oh my gosh, you guys, after finally winning the team event, they took the cutest selfie with the special Olympic Edition Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 right there on the podium! I seriously can’t even with how perfect that picture is. It’s everything!

Lindsey Vonn, a U.S. skier, appeared focused and determined while training just days after suffering a torn ACL in a crash.

Alysa Liu, representing the United States, performs a Biellmann spin during her short program in the women’s single skating competition.

Jennifer Dodds of Team Great Britain looked very anxious while watching the mixed doubles curling match against South Korea.

Snoop Dogg,serving as an Olympics correspondent for NBC, tries his hand at curling at a practice.

Evan Bates and Madison Chock, both U.S. figure skaters and a couple in real life, seem perfectly in sync when they perform their rhythm ice dance.

Laila Edwards, the first African American woman to play hockey for the U.S. in the Olympics, competes against Sara Cajanova of the Czech Republic during their game.

During the men’s snowboard big air qualifying round, Australian snowboarder Valentino Guseli embraced Jakub Hrones from Team Czechia.

Bulgarian ski jumper Vladimir Zografski hits the brakes during a training session.

Korey Dropkin, an American curler, celebrated with a shout after his team won against Switzerland in a mixed doubles curling match.

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2026-02-19 01:17