Team Yukon's medal count has come to a lull.

The female skiers came flying out of the gate at the 2011 Haywood Ski Nationals in Canmore, Alta., on the opening two days of competition.

Two gold Saturday, one off Kendra Murray and Dahria Beatty's team sprint in the Challenge age category and the other from Janelle Greer and Emily Nishikawa's effort in the Open female group.

Murray nabbed a bronze on day two in the junior five-kilometre skate ski, Nishikawa skied her way to a national championship in the 10 km and Beatty earned a silver in the junior women's race.

The opening two days saw Nishikawa win a national championship and Murray ski the best she's ever done at a nationals.

Very promising.

Following a break on Monday, however, Yukon skiers continue to miss the podium.

The Yukon's top performance yesterday came from Nishikawa, who finished sixth behind national ski team member Daria Gaiazova and 2006 Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford in the senior women 1-km classic sprint.

Whitehorse's Dahria Beatty also finished sixth in the senior female sprint and Janelle Greer, battling the flu, took 16th spot in the same event.

Team Yukon head coach Alain Masson explained that Canada's top skiers – Gaiazova and Crawford among them – returned to the Haywood Ski Nationals on Monday from the World Cup, missing the opening two days of racing.

"It's a different level of racing,” Masson said. "I think it was great for Emily to see how fast some of the best athletes are, much tougher than the field that she competed with last weekend, because these athletes weren't there.”

Even among the best, however, Nishikawa can compete.

"Maybe if she had had a slightly better race she could have been fifth or fourth, but she's not at the level yet to fight for a podium finish when the best sprinters from Canada are there,” Masson said.

"She knows what to expect, she knows that that's the level she has to aim for eventually.

"These athletes are older, she's 21 and Chandra and Daria are (older), so she has a few years. But it's good that she knows the speed that she has to be at in a few years if she wants to be competitive internationally. It's a great experience, a great opportunity for her.”

Murray was the only Yukoner to advance out of the qualifying round of the junior girls sprint today. The results of her second race were not available at press time.

On the boys side, Yukoner Knute Johnsgaard made it through to the semi-finals in the junior male group in yesterday's sprint event and finished in ninth position.

The Haywood Ski Nationals wrap up on Saturday with the free technique distance race.