Nazgul, a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, rose to unlikely fame as the standout star of an Olympic ski race—and there’s a funny story behind his appearance.

Domesticated Wolfdog Crashes Ski Trials

Nazgul’s owners, Enrico and Alice Varesco, left him at their apartment alongside the Olympic cross-country ski trails as they headed out to watch an Olympic biathlon race at another competition venue a few hours away. The two-year-old pup was secured inside his spacious kennel inside the house with an eight-foot-tall fence surrounding the property.

Later in the day, the couple saw photos of a dog running among the ski racers on the homestretch.

“We thought it was impossible,” Alice said. “There are other wolfdogs in the valley.”

A friend working at the competition office sent Alice a high-definition shot of the dog from the camera used to capture photo finishes. A family member was also sent to the Varescos’ apartment found that the crate and door were open and Nazgul was gone.

The couple has since speculated that the lever holding Nazgul’s kennel closed may not have been completely latched. Then, presumably, the dog pushed the front door panel open with his paw and ran through the open priority line of the spectators’ entrance.

The dog’s presence did startle some of the racers, one of whom stated that she thought she was hallucinating. Though athletes were startled, his presence didn’t appear to affect the final race outcome as he appeared after the top-ranked athletes finished their preliminary round.

“We thought it was funny,” said Canadian Tony Cyr, 27, after finishing an event Saturday. “I think it put a smile on a lot of people’s faces, and I don’t think it impeded anyone’s race.”

After his Olympic debut at the women’s team sprint qualification round, Nazgul has since garnered internet stardom and landed on the pages of newspapers around the world.