This four-legged competitor saw a final straightaway and finished strong.
And at least for a moment, a dog stole the show during cross country skiing action at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday.
Maybe calling the sprinting animal a wolf would be slightly more accurate, but the extra racer seemed friendly enough once across the finish line.
Clearly, all the ski racers going by got the dog fired up for a chase.
Unfortunately, we don't know the race time, or whether the local racer will be in contention for a medal.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 18, 2026MORE: U.S. women's hockey star's brothers go viral at Olympics
It was team sprint day at the Olympics for the cross country skiing, and the dog likely just wanted to be part of a team.
That also implies the existence of other dog relay members elsewhere in the course. Can we get them all together for a team photo?
The Olympians do seem surprised by the extra company once they've crossed the line. They've used up all their energy and probably were wise not to engage the wild animal, just in case.
But the four-legged friend just wanted to race, and that deserves some kind of medal.
More Olympics news:
- This U.S. luge star was parodied on SNL
- Amber Glenn gets into music dispute during Olympic figure skating program
- Macklin Celebrini is chasing Hooley Smith's 1924 Olympics record
- U.S. Olympians get paid shockingly less than other countries for gold medals
- Controversy and cursing with Canada curling
- Chloe Kim's silver medal has some controversy

1 hour ago
3
English (US)