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An errant squirrel decided to hold an Olympic race of its own this weekend, scrambling across the ski slope during the women’s parallel giant slalom event Saturday.
Austrian snowboarder Daniela Ulbing narrowly skirted around the squirrel on her run, giving the scrappy thrill-seeker a second shot at life. In the (now viral) video, the squirrel darts across the slope, avoids death-by-super-fast-snowboard by a hair, then seems to recognize the error in its ways, turning back around. For her part, Ulbing did an impeccable job avoiding the tiny rodent.
Watching the footage is a hand-wringing experience. You know the squirrel is going to make it, but the breadth by which it escapes is so narrow! Run faster, tiny squirrel!
WATCH OUT SQUIRREL. pic.twitter.com/rtQ94MQeDj
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) February 24, 2018
Twitter is cheering for the squirrel, and breathing a collective sigh of relief at its survival.
Squirrel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alive!!!!!!!!! #PeyongChang2018 #PyeongChang2018 #snowboard #Olympics #Olympics2018 pic.twitter.com/bCER0fGajd
— Yongwon Lee (@Ingyowon411) February 24, 2018
You say "Squirrel Avoids Snowboarder," I say "Squirrel Olympics Feature Different Sports"
— John Mangrum (@jwmangrum) February 24, 2018
Thats 1 lucky squirrel #PyeongChang2018
— Tom Hockman (@Tom_Hockman) February 24, 2018
If NBC needs more content now that the Olympics are over, I would happily watch an extended “Where Are They Now?” feature of the scrappy squirrel, living its day-to-day life after a taste of the spotlight.
