Nazgul the wolfdog who shocked fans by sprinting onto the Olympic cross-country course is now safely back home, and his owners say it will never happen again at the next race.
The two-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog became an unexpected star of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics after escaping from his home in Tesero and running onto the course during a sprint event. For a few surreal seconds, spectators thought a real wolf had wandered into the competition. Instead, it was Nazgul, racing down the finishing straight alongside the skiers.
His owners, Alice and Ernesto Varesco, were not even in town when it happened. They were on a train to Anterselva to watch the biathlon when friends began sending them videos. “That was the panic moment,” Alice Varesco told Reuters. “We realised we could not do anything.”
Nazgul had been left locked in his kennel at home. The family believes he may have repeatedly nudged a lever out of frustration until it gave way, then managed to open the door and head toward the familiar route he usually walks with his owners. “He likes to stay with his crew,” Alice explained, suggesting the dog was simply trying to find them.
Race officials reacted quickly. The race director caught Nazgul inside the venue, and family members brought him home within 30 minutes. Thankfully, no athletes were injured and the race was not seriously disrupted.
By the afternoon, videos of Nazgul’s dash had gone viral around the world. While the attention was overwhelming, the Varesco family said they were most relieved that their dog was safe.
Now, with the 50-kilometer races coming up this weekend, the family has taken extra steps to tighten security around Nazgul’s kennel. Instead of attending in person, they plan to watch from their balcony at home with Nazgul firmly in sight.
“We did not think this could be possible,” Alice said. “But it’s good that nothing happened, and in the end, everybody was happy.”