Following her spectacular showing at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, Nadia Moser has been recognized by Team Canada.

The 17-year-old Yukoner was one of seven Canadians named to the 2022 development squad yesterday, in an announcement that coincided with the naming of Biathlon Canada’s 2016 and 2018 national rosters.

Others included on the 2022 team are Megan Bankes, Pearce Hanna and Mathew Strum of Alberta, Alexandre Dupuis and Leilani Tam von Burg of Ontario, as well as Emily Dickson of British Columbia.

Moser earned a silver and two bronze medals at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C., in February, then followed that up with two more silver medal wins at the 2015 Canadian Biathlon Championships in Hinton, Alta.

Both Tam von Burg and Dickson also earned three medals apiece at the Canada Winter Games.

The 2022 biathlon squad is viewed as the next generation of Canada’s Olympians. Identifying these athletes early is key to their development, Biathlon Canada’s high-performance director Chris Lindsay told the Star.

“We recognize that this takes a significant amount of time – eight years,” he explained. “This is indicative of future potential.”

The seven athletes identified are “on the pathway” to success, Lindsay said.

Their results from major competitions were compared to those of past national athletes as part of the identification process.

“These 2022 kids are at the top of their provincial programs,” Lindsay noted, adding they would benefit from time spent at the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre in Canmore.

The facility is considered the top program in the country in terms of developing high-performance athletes, and Moser is expected to spend time there next season.

While the 2022 national biathlon roster will likely endure some tweaking in the years ahead, Lindsay said naming the squad now is intended to aid in winning Olympic medals later.

Moser pushed herself onto the Canadian radar this season, showing she is someone worth investing some time into, Lindsay said.

Her success in the “pressure cooker” environment at the Canada Winter Games went a long way for Canadian team officials.

“We looked at all of the data,” he said. “Canada Winter Games, nationals and other results. Her history of cross-country skiing. There’s something special about this athlete we needed to recognize.”

Team Canada hopes Moser is eventually able to repeat her success from this season at the world-championship level.

Lindsay called Moser a “trailblazing athlete,” adding he is looking forward to recognizing more Yukon biathletes in the future.

“If it happened once, it can happen again,” he said. “This is validation that the Nordic ski community within the Yukon is every bit as capable of building talent as any other province in the country.”