Defending champion Hallie Clarke in 3rd place halfway through skeleton event at worlds

Defending women's champion Hallie Clarke of Brighton, Ont., is in third place after Thursday's opening two runs at the skeleton world championships in Lake Placid, N.Y.

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

Anna Fernstaedt of the Czech Republic was second at 1:51.06.

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

WATCH | Clarke sits 3rd after first 2 runs:

Defending world skeleton champion Hallie Clarke in 3rd place after 2 heats

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. Watch live coverage on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem starting at 4 p.m. ET.

"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."

WATCH | Clarke becomes youngest female world champion:

Canadian teen Hallie Clarke becomes youngest female world champion in skeleton