On your marks, get set… go! Dog gatecrashes Winter Olympics sprint, crosses finish line

The women's cross-country team free sprint at the Milan Cortina Olympics, apart from a competitive show, saw a dog as a contestant entry towards the race's end.

As a first race of its kind, the Winter Olympics saw a rare spectacle, as an unregistered competitor crossed the finish line and won hearts.

The women's cross-country team free sprint at the Milano Cortina Olympics, apart from a competitive show, saw a dog as a contestant entry towards the race's end, erupting cheers from the audience.

According to media reports, it was identified as a Czechoslovakian wolfdog. Nazghul, named after a Lord Of The Rings reference, was walking with it owner, before detouring and making a wild-card entrance alongside the women competitors.

Officials at the venue thought it was a violation of the strict no-pets policy for the spectators, as reported by ESPN.

The protocols were ignored for the evening as the audience witnessed a heartwarming interaction between the player and the dog. Croatian skier Tena Hadzic called the encounter a surprising one.

"I was like, 'Am I hallucinating?'" Hadzic said. "I don't know what I should do, because maybe he could attack me, bite me."

Konstantina Charalampidou from Greece said everyone wanted to interview her now because of the dog. "I became famous with a dog that came across the finish line, and everyone wants to interview me now," the participant said.

"He was chasing the camera that goes up and down the finish line. He was cute, but not aggressive. I wanted to pet him, but I didn't have the time and I couldn't find him afterwards," she added.

The owner, while characterising her pet as stubborn but sweet, said, "He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving -- and I think he just wanted to follow us."

"He always looks for people," the owner added.

The clips, having gone viral on social media, won the hearts of fans and non-fans of the Olympics alike, calling Nazghul the star of the event.