Olympic ski champion Petra Vlhova to miss world championships after setbacks with long-term injury

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Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova will miss the Alpine skiing world championships next month after a setback in her recovery from a knee injury and is already focusing on the 2026 Winter Games, her team said Monday.

Vlhova has been Mikaela Shiffrin’s main rival in slalom for the past decade. However, Shiffrin's participation at the worlds in Saalbach, Austria, is also in doubt as the American has yet to make her return from abdominal surgery following a crash in November.

Vlhova has not raced since tearing the ACL in her right knee one year ago after crashing in a World Cup giant slalom in her native Slovakia.

“Unfortunately, the setbacks she faced in December and January have made it impossible for her to participate in the world championships in Saalbach,” Vlhova’s coach Mauro Pini said in a statement. “We had hoped she could compete for medals, but that won’t happen this time.”

The 29-year-old Vlhova’s focus is “already shifting to the Winter Olympics” next year, her coach said. “Petra’s knee rehabilitation is finally on the right track, with encouraging progress every day."

Missing Saalbach will end Vlhova’s run of competing at six straight worlds since her debut in 2013 at age 17.

Vlhova has five career medals at the biennial worlds, including one gold in giant slalom in 2019 at Are, Sweden. Shiffrin took bronze.

The 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics would be Vlhova’s fourth. She finally got a medal in her 10th race, when she won the slalom at the Beijing Olympics three years ago.

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