Mark Webster is happy to be skating on thin ice this week as he represents Australia at the World Championships.

“Competing at the worlds is a big honour for me,” he said.

“I have been training hard for this.”

He fought off the challenge from team-mates at the recent Four Continents event at Vancouver, Canada, to seal the country’s sole spot at the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles.

Webster, 19, finished 15th out of 27 skaters, but was the best of the three Australian competitors.

“I took a year off to train extensively in Toronto and that helped me a lot,” he said.

The Glenmore Park resident is studying pyschology at the University of Western Sydney while pursuing his sporting dreams.

“I had missed out on previous junior world titles, so this is a big step up for me,” he said.

“If I do well at the worlds, my next goal will be the Winter Olympics. But having said that, it will be a big ask as competition is very stiff.”

To make the short list for the Olympics, he would have to finish the top 20 at Los Angeles.

Webster said lack of available sponsors made it hard for local figure skaters to travel for international events.

“This sport is extremely difficult and very expensive to get to this level,” he said.

His coach Sharyn Renshaw said Webster’s unyielding spirit drives him forward.

“He has the talent but his biggest advantage is that he does not want to give up,” she said.

“I have trained him for 10 years and have always known he can compete at the highest level.”