This year's Winter Olympics in South Korea have been thoroughly entertaining so far thanks to the likes of skier Gus Kenworthy making LGBT Olympic history, the Russian women's figure skaters nailing it on the ice, and the US women's hockey team providing some memorable moments.
However, one of the most 'wow' moments unfolded on the slopes just yesterday. Normally it's the athletes who are hailed as daredevils during the Olympics, but today it's a brave squirrel that stole the headlines.
During a snowboard race at the Winter Games in Pyeonchang, Austrian snowboarder Daniela Ulbing narrowly avoided a collision on the slope as a squirrel seemed to appear from nowhere at full speed.
Ulbing saw her Olympic victory flash before her eyes after the furry critter somehow made its way onto the course, leaping into her path during the parallel giant slalom event.
Missing the base of Ulbing's board by a whisker, the squirrel became the talk of those attending Phoenix Park, while social media has gone on to describe it as the miracle moment of the Winter Games:
Ulbing was racing against Russian competitor Milena Bykova, who was eliminated following her opening.
Despite the interruption, Ulbing managed to weave her way out of trouble and went on to win the race in unbelievable style.
It's pretty incredible that both the boarder and the animal came out of the incident unscathed - one millisecond later and it would've been a very different outcome.
It wasn't all good news for Ulbing though. Following the dramatic heat, she ended up losing in the quarterfinals to favourite Ester Ledecka, who went on to take the gold.
Still, at least she's got this memorable little story to tell. There aren't many boarders out there who could avoid a topple with such finesse, and she's got video evidence to prove it.
Hopefully elsewhere the squirrel is enjoying high praise from his woodland buddies for pulling off such a daring move - courage like that takes serious nuts.
Source: The Daily Mail
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: Weird, Winter Olympics
