Austrian snowboarder Daniela Ulbing knew she’d have some tough competition when she hit the slopes during the 2018 Winter Olympic games in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Saturday. But one thing she didn’t expect to have to overcome was a squirrel nearly ruining her run.
During the parallel giant slalom event a squirrel ran out in front of Ulbing as she was going down the hill. But thanks to some quick thinking she was able to dodge it and continue her run, finishing first in her heat.
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WATCH OUT SQUIRREL. pic.twitter.com/rtQ94MQeDj
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 24, 2018
Ulbing told reporters afterward that she strategically moved around the critter just as it scampered its way into her line of sight. Thankfully it froze when it noticed her, making it easy for her to dodge the little guy.
“Well that’s an unexpected obstacle. Squirrel interrupting play?” the NBC commentator noted. “When you think you’ve seen everything at the Olympic Winter Games.”
Sunday marks the final day of competition at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. While the United States has managed to scoop up a few more medals, they still find themselves way behind the leader in fourth place with 23 medals (nine of which are gold). Ahead of them are Germany (28 medals), Canada (29 medals) and Norway with a whopping 38 medals.
The closing ceremonies will be held from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET on Sunday evening, and will be broadcast on NBC, CNBC and the USA Network. The final day of competition includes bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, figure skating, women’s curling and men’s hockey.
The games have provided a long list of compelling stories in recent weeks, though none might have been as goofy as the streaker running onto the track during a men’s speedskating event and dancing to his own routine with “Peace” and “Love” painted on his chest.
