Canada's Mirela Rahneva slides to career-best Olympic finish in women's skeleton

Mirela Rahneva will leave Beijing with a career-best Olympic performance instead of a preferred medal around her neck.

The Bulgarian-born, Ottawa-raised slider negotiated the 1,615-metre track in a combined four minutes 9.15 seconds across four runs to finish fifth on Saturday night at Yanqing National Sliding Center.

Rahneva placed 12th in her 2018 Olympic debut in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Hannah Neise, 21, won Germany's first-ever Olympic gold in women's skeleton, clocking 4:07.62. Australia's Jaclyn Narracott was second in 4:08.24 and became the first slider outside Europe and North America to claim a medal in the event, while Kimberley Bos of the Netherlands earned bronze (4:08.46).

Jane Channell of North Vancouver, B.C. was 17th in the field of 20 in 4:10.95 after finishing 10th in Pyeongchang.

In the first of two runs on Friday, Rahneva raised the eyebrows of many with a then-track record of 1:02.03, leading some to believe she might become Canada's second medal recipient in the event and first since Mellisa Hollingsworth-Richards earned bronze at the 2016 Games in Turin, Italy.

WATCH | Canada's Rahneva posts fastest 1st run in skeleton heats:

The 33-year-old Rahneva, who trains out of Calgary, went 1:03.14 in the second run to sit ninth halfway through the competition.

In her third run, Rahneva dragged her toes at the top of the track and later had a big skid, causing the nose of her led to point down, create friction and slow her. Still, she posted a time of 1:01.72 on the new and lightning-fast track to jump four spots into fifth and 90-100ths of a second behind Neise, the leader in 3:05.99, and 42-100ths back of bronze-medal position.

Rahneva hit the wall a couple of times on her final run and finished her