Long a star in her home territory, Nadia Moser opened some eyes on the world stage last week.

The 18-year-old Whitehorse resident shot and skied her way into the top-20 at the Biathlon Youth World Championships in Romania.

Moser finished 19th in the youth women’s six-kilometre sprint last Friday, finishing as the top Canadian in her class.

She missed just one shot in her first round of shooting, clocking an overall time of 19:49.7.

“I felt good skiing and the skis were fast,” Moser told Biathlon Canada officials post-race.

“I always strive for strong shooting and I was nine out of 10, which is good. The course was hard and the conditions were challenging because some parts of the downhill were icy.

“Overall, I’m happy with how I competed.”

Norway’s Karoline Erdal won gold in the same race, crossing the finish line in 18:17.7.

On Sunday, Moser finished 24th in the 7.5-km pursuit race, due to some tough-luck shooting – 12 out of 20.

The Yukoner also competed in a 3x6-km relay Monday, in which Canada finished 10th.

She began her experience in Romania last Wednesday by finishing 47th in a 10-km individual start race.

Moser, originally from Atlin, B.C., was one of four Canadians on the youth women’s roster that competed in Chiele Gradistei, Romania, Jan. 25 to Feb. 2.

Other members of the squad included Calgary’s Megan Bankes and India McIsaac, as well as Emily Dickson of Prince George, B.C.

“It was a really great experience,” Moser told the Star. “ I am very happy that I was good enough to make the team.”

She referred to her top-20 result in the sprint as a definitive trip highlight.

Representing Canada alongside Yukon was also very meaningful, she said.

“It means a lot,” said Moser. “It is really cool to be able to represent your country at an international event.”

Moser is currently training in Canmore, Alta., at the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre.

The facility is considered the top program in the country in terms of developing high-performance athletes.

Moser splashed onto Canada’s radar after winning a silver and two bronze medals at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George last February.

She followed up that exemplary performance with two more silver medal wins at the 2015 Canadian Biathlon Championships in Hinton, Alta.

Moser was subsequently named to Canada’s 2022 development squad.