Two Yukon cross-country skiers showed the rest of the country how it’s done at the world ski championships yesterday.

Knute Johnsgaard, 22, and Dahria Beatty, 20, finished as the top Canadian sprinters on the opening day of the Nordic Junior and Under-23 World Skiing Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Johnsgaard sprinted through dense smog to 14th place in the classic sprints.

Competing in the men’s U23 division, Johnsgaard was the lone Canadian male to qualify for the head-to-head heats between the top 30.

The Whitehorse native’s day came to an end when he finished third in his quarter-final round on the 1.3-kilometre track which featured technical downhills, corners and a punishing climb near the end of the course.

“My form is good this week, which I didn’t feel in the NorAms leading up to the world championships,” Johnsgaard told Cross Country Canada officials post-race.

“We had great skis and had quite a few athletes in the quarters. We were racing in very poor air quality.

“I’ve never smoked a pack of cigarettes in my life, but I definitely made up for that today by racing in the smog. It was a great day for Canada, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the championships.”

Three other Canadian men finished outside the top 30 in the U23 sprints.

Meanwhile, fellow Yukoner Beatty led three Canadians into knockout rounds in the women’s U23 sprints, but unfortunately all three were eliminated in the first heat.

Beatty, of Whitehorse, finished in 20th spot.

Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt, of Morin-Heights, Que., qualified in 12th to secure a spot in the top 30 but ended ranked 21st, while Cendrine Browne, of St-Jerome, Que., placed 26th.

Of the three junior Canuck women who punched their tickets into the heats, Katherine Stewart-Jones led the way. Racing six a side, the Chelsea, Que., resident crossed the line fourth in her heat, putting her in 19th overall when the day was done.

Yukon skier Annah Hanthorn, 19, originally from Fort McPherson, N.W.T., did not qualify, finishing 45th.

None of the junior men earned a spot in the heats.

It was a much stronger day overall for the Canadians than one year ago with seven athletes qualifying for the knockouts, said Lisa Patterson, Cross Country Canada’s high-performance development coordinator.

“Our athletes started well and often were in the top of the pack leading into the first downhill,” she said in a press release.

“We had very comparable skis for glide, but I feel that we lost time on the lane transitions and corners. In general, like many other athletes, we weren’t able to hold the pace on the last uphill.”

The juniors were back on the start line today with the five- and 10-km skate-ski races.

Hanthorn finished 44th overall.