(Reuters) – Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova will miss the World Championships in Austria next month, with the Slovak racer still recovering from a knee injury she suffered a year ago.
Vlhova, Mikaela Shiffrin’s big rival for the slalom and overall World Cup Alpine ski titles, suffered a season-ending injury last January when she fell in a giant slalom on home snow in Jasna and tore knee ligaments.
“Petra’s knee rehabilitation is finally on the right track, with encouraging progress every day,” her coach Mauro Pini said on Monday.
“Unfortunately, the setbacks she faced in December and January have made it impossible for her to participate in the World Championships in Saalbach.
“We had hoped she could compete for medals, but that won’t happen this time. However, this marks a new chapter for Petra, with her focus already shifting to the Winter Olympics in Cortina 2026.”
Vlhova, 29, who won the slalom gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2022, topped the World Cup rankings in 2021.
She has won six medals at world championships, including a giant slalom gold in 2019.
The 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm are scheduled for Feb. 4 to 16.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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