Petra Vlhova extended her lead in slalom with her fifth win in six races Sunday as Mikaela Shiffrin failed to finish.
It’s the first time since January 2018 that Shiffrin failed to finish a slalom.
On Sunday, Shiffrin was in third after the opening run. She skied out on her second run, straddling a gate.
It’s been a difficult month for Shiffrin after the two-time Olympic champion tested positive for COVID-19 in late December. The first World Cup race of the calendar year saw Shiffrin fall to Vlhova by five-tenths of a second.
Throughout the World Cup circuit, Shiffrin has managed just one win against the Slovakian – her home race in Killington, Vermont, in November.
“I am always trying to be the best, to be the fastest in the race. I am satisfied about my second run, especially,” Vlhova said.
Vlhova entered the second run trailing Wendy Holdener of Switzerland by eight-hundredths. She ultimately won the event by 0.23 with Holdener coming in second. Anna Swenn Larsson of Sweden came in third.
With Shiffrin out, Paula Moltzan was the highest finisher from the U.S. ski team at 13th.
The next slalom is a night slalom in Schladming, Austria. The Beijing Olympics are set to begin in a little less than a month on Feb. 4.