The Yukon’s medal count no longer remains zeros across the board. On Thursday cross-country skier Natalie Hynes earned herself and the Yukon a bronze medal.

The race was a 10-kilometre classic mass start at the River Bend Golf and Recreation Area in Red Deer, Alta. Hynes said the race was harder than anticipated.

“I wasn’t expecting as tough a race,” said Hynes. “The hills are short with no extended climbs. The thing is with no ups there are no downs so there was no recovery time and that made it difficult.”

Hynes finished the 10-kilometres in 29 minutes and 59 seconds. Earning the first medal for the Yukon is something she can take pride in.

“It is pretty exciting for sure,” said Hynes. “It was definitely a tough race but I managed to pull through and secure a medal for the Yukon.”

The cross-country skiing events feature some of the best under 23 athletes across the country. Hynes was impressed with the level of competition.

“I was surprised by the level of competition,” said Hynes. “It is a wide variety of skiers at the Games but still very competitive.”

Hynes trains and goes to college in Anchorage and she said her experiences there have made her a stronger skier.

However, she enjoys being back with team Yukon when she gets the opportunity.

“It is nice to be back together,” said Hynes. “These are people I have competed with for a long tim. Now some of us are off at school, so it’s nice to be back together.”

After the race, Hynes stepped onto the podium for the medal ceremony and to receive her bronze medal. Standing on the podium made her feel uneasy.

“All the ski team was there and some mission staff because it was the Yukon’s first podium,” said Hynes. “It was nerve-wracking. I don’t want the spotlight.”

On Wednesday, the cross-country team had a day off after competing in the sprint races on Tuesday. Coach Alain Masson said Hynes had a good chance of reaching the podium.

“We are stronger, always in distance racing,” said Masson. “For Natalie, this is a good opportunity to reach the podium.”

When Hynes returned to the athletes village she said it was nice to see the board change.

“It’s a big honour,” said Hynes. “There is a little board in the cottage with all zeros on it and finally we get to change it.”

Hynes’ teammates also had successful days on the trails. Amanda Thomson finished in the top 10 in a time of 30:39.20.

Hannah Deuling, 32:26.00, Sonjaa Schmidt, 33:02.40, and Hannah Jirousek, 33:29.00, finished clustered together in 21st, 23rd, and 24th respectively.

The girls’ race was won by Jasmine Drolet of B.C. She posted a winning time of 29:31.70.

The boys’ raced in a 15-kilometre classic mass start. Before the race, Masson said Derek Deuling should be able to crack to the top 10. Deuling achieved his coaches expectation finishing in 42:31.60 for ninth place.

Marcus Deuling, 46:08.90, and Sasha Masson, 46:13.20, finished back-to-back in the 25th and 26th spots.

Jamie Phillips-Freedman, 49:01.90, and Ben Puskas, 49:03.90, also finished one after the other in 32nd and 33rd.

When the Star reached Masson on Tuesday he said the team was made up of mostly young skiers around 16-years-old and that the experienced they gained from these Games will make them better skiers.

The team will have today off before competing in the relay mix on Saturday.