Defending women’s champion Clarke in third halfway through skeleton worlds

LAKE PLACID – Defending women’s champion Hallie Clarke of Brighton, Ont., is in third place after Thursday’s opening two runs at the skeleton world championships.

Clarke posted a two-run time of 1:51.09, .22 seconds behind leader Kimberley Bos of the Netherlands.

Anna Fernstaedt of Czechia was second at 1:51.06. 

Calgary’s Jane Channell was 13th at 1:51.70.

Clarke became the youngest women’s world champion in skeleton history last year when she won the title in Winterburg, Germany, as a 19-year-old.

The final two runs are scheduled for Friday. 

“I’m really proud of myself for being able to calm my nerves down because there’s a different amount of pressure that comes with trying to defend a title versus just going into a world championships,” said Clarke. who is aiming to become the first woman to win back-to-back skeleton championships. 

“But I’m really happy with my second run. I made some corrections from my first and I’m really relying on that experience from last year to guide me through this.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2025.