Whitehorse biathlete Nadia Moser captured her first ever podium finish in the International Biathlon Union (IBU) Cup women’s 7.5-kilometre sprint Saturday in Obertilliach, Austria on Saturday.

There were 106 racers in the sprint. Moser, who captured gold said via email that not only was it special because it was her first ever medal but that she got to share the podium with her teammate Megan Bankes.

“This was my first gold medal and top six ever (finish) in international competition,” said Moser in the email. “I have never achieved a top-six result internationally before. This podium was special to me not only because it was my first, but also because I got to share it with my teammate Megan.”

Moser’s winning time was 20:43.4. Natalia Gerbulova of Russia, who finished second, crossed the finish in a time of 20:43.8, while Bankes rounded out the podium in third place, in a time of 24.44.1, seven-tenths of a second behind Moser.

Moser says that her shooting was one of the reasons she was able to capture the gold.

“I think that in this race I managed to shoot well,” said Moser. “I was able to shoot at a decent speed, and hit all of my targets.”

Despite the victory, Moser is not resting on her laurels as she says she still has much to improve on as she looks forward to future competitions.

“Honestly, I still need to improve on everything,” said Moser. “Winning an IBU Cup is not the best someone can achieve. The World Cup circuit is next and is the highest level of competition for biathletes to compete in. Hopefully, I will be capable of achieving podium finishes at the World Cup in the future. I would say that it is very difficult to have podium performances in every competition.

Moser says she does not recall what the race conditions were like, but that her equipment was good and fast.

“I cannot remember exactly what the course conditions were like. I think they were pretty good, I think we had good skis that day also. It was a clear day with no snow or wind so it was ideal for shooting.”

Two other Canadians competed in the 7.5-kilometre sprint race. Emily Dickson, from Burns Lake, B.C. came in the 58th spot in a time of 26:55.5. Darya Sepandj from Calgary placed 91 crossing in 28:42.1.

Moser competed in three other races in Obertilliach. Her first race was Dec. 19 and was the women 15-kilometre individual competition. Moser finished in the 69th position in a time of 49:30.1. Bankes finished in ninth, Dickson 44 and Sepandj came in 91. The winning time was 42:11.6 posted by Caroline Colombo from France.

Her next two races were on Dec. 21 and were the women super sprint qualification and then the women super sprint final. In the qualification race, Moser came in 12th in a time of 9:38.6. Sweden’s Ingela Andersson posted the winning time of 9:21.0. Bankes finished in 31 and Dickson and Sepandj came in 33 and 67 respectively.

In the super sprint final Moser moved up the rankings and came in seventh place. She finished 18.8 seconds behind the winning time of 15:49.9 posted by Felicia Lindqvist of Sweden. Moser was the only Canadian to compete in the final which featured 30 biathletes.

Moser will next compete on January 12th in Poland. Until that time she says she will stay focused on her training so she will be prepared for her next races.