Adorable Dog Hits The Slopes At 2026 Winter Olympics & Deserves All The Gold Medals

Championship skiers wait their whole lives for a chance at an Olympic gold medal, dedicating themselves to a rigorous training schedule in order to shave off fractions of a second. But occasionally a true winner who needs no training emerges and captures the crowd's hearts. That's exactly what happened on February 18 during the women's cross-country team sprint qualifications at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

DOG ON THE COURSE AT OLYMPIC SKIING. 🚨

The late entry closes strong at the cross country finish line! pic.twitter.com/o4mO28tXXW

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 18, 2026

And no, we're not talking about a human competitor. Rather, a beautiful dog appeared on the final stretch of the ski course, and much to the delight of the audience, who cheered wildly for the canine competitor, the happy dog bounded along behind the skiers. He then inspected the cameras that move around close to the finish line before finally exiting. The energetic pupper was quickly identified as a 2-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul who lives at a bed-and-breakfast not far from the ski event.

"I love Nazgul. He's forever my mascot of these Winter Olympics," a viewer commented on the CBC Sports video. One person asked, "Yes but the important question, did he medal?" to which another commenter answered, "That was just a qualification run, he'll be running for a medal next round."

The Czechoslovakian wolfdog, also known as the Czechoslovakian Vlciak (CSV), is a smart and loyal animal that shows true devotion to its owner. Nazgul clearly demonstrated that loyalty. "He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving — and I think he just wanted to follow us," Nazgul's owner told NPR. "He always looks for people."

The CSV breed is known to be quite active, which is no surprise to anyone who watched Nazgul galloping along the ski course, and physically, these dogs strongly resemble wolves. "Sure-fire way to ski faster at the finish line? Get chased by a dog that, at a glance, looks like a wolf," one X user quipped. The CSV is a wolf-dog hybrid that came about when German shepherd dogs were crossed with Carpathian wolves in the 1950s. The resulting smart and versatile dogs worked with the Czechoslovakian military to monitor borders. Though some other dog breeds may be closer to the wolf today, the CSV retains wolflike traits such as independence, aloofness, and stamina.

Looking for more cute pet stories from Milano Cortina? Check out this cat wearing his owner's gold medal at the Olympics.