The Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova will not be competing at the World Championships in Austria next month. The athlete is currently recuperating from a knee injury sustained a year ago.
Vlhova, Mikaela Shiffrin’s rival for the slalom and overall World Cup Alpine ski titles, suffered a season-ending injury when she tore her knee ligaments in a giant slalom on home snow in Jasna. Her coach, Mauro Pini, admitted: “Petra’s knee rehabilitation is finally on the right track, with encouraging progress every day.”
Pini added; “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’s athletic performance
The 29-year-old athlete topped the World Cup rankings in 2021 and won the gold medal in slalom at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Furthermore, she has won six medals at the World Championships, including a gold in giant slalom back in 2019.
A social media post shared by Audi FIS Ski World Cup recalls how Petra Vlhova and Mikaela Shiffrin had constantly won the Flachau races in recent years. However, neither of them would be participating this year. The post stated: “For the last six races in Flachau, either Mikaela Shiffrin 🇺🇸 or Petra Vlhova 🇸🇰 has stood on top of the podium. 🏆✨ Let’s take a look back at their incredible wins in Flachau! 🎿”
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The 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships will be hosted at Saalbach-Hinterglemm from February 4–16.
Source: CNA