The 2015 Canada Winter Games started with a bang for Yukon biathlete Nadia Moser.

First, the 17-year-old was named the territory’s flag-bearer for Friday night’s opening ceremonies at CN Centre in Prince George, B.C.

Then on Sunday, Moser earned the Yukon’s first medal of the national tournament – silver in the 12.5-kilometre individual junior women’s event.

The medal propelled the territory into fifth place in the standings Sunday – rare for a small jurisdiction.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Moser told the Star from Prince George this morning. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

Moser, a Grade 12 student at Porter Creek Secondary School, said she had butterflies before the race.

“But I’m always nervous before every race I do,” she admitted.

She hit 16 of 20 targets with her rifle, incurring a one-minute penalty for each of her misses.

The humble Moser received her medal last night, a feat met with applause by 35 members of Team Yukon on hand for the presentation.

On Friday, Moser led the 100-member Team Yukon into a jam-packed arena waving the Yukon flag. Her teammates followed her waving placards with the slogan “Yukon Do It!”

The opening ceremonies were televised on TSN.

“That was really neat,” Moser said. “I was just really scared.”

Moser was tapped for the honour by Yukon chef de mission Trevor Twardochleb, who referred to her as an amazing role model for the territory’s younger athletes.

Moser has a history of winning medals – earning one in each of her races at the 2012 Arctic Winter Games, before sweeping the podium in 2014 and finishing ninth at nationals.

Biathlon coach Dennis Peters said Moser’s silver medal win was the first Canada Winter Games medal in history for a Yukon biathlete.

“Nadia is an amazing skier,” he said this morning. “She shot the way she was capable of, so really what she did was not a huge surprise to us.

“I’d say we’re sort of on Cloud 9 here,” Peters said. “For us, it’s a thrill. To be the first medal at the Games – that’s just amazing for us.”

Ontario’s Leilani Tam von Burg won gold, while B.C.’s Emily Dickson took bronze.

Moser’s Yukon teammate, Maria Peters, finished 21st in the race.

Coach Peters said temperatures have hovered between -2 and 5 Celsius, making for icy conditions. While no Yukoners have crashed, others have suffered broken rifles and skis.

In freestyle skiing action yesterday, Kyran Allen finished one spot off the podium, placing fourth in the big air event.

The 2011 Canada Winter Games were held in Halifax.

There, the Yukon took home five medals – including three gold courtesy of cross-country skier Emily Nishikawa, pistol shooter Danielle Marcotte and the female pistol

shooting team. Nishikawa – now an Olympic-level skier – also earned a silver and bronze.