MERIBEL, France (AP) — American skier Mikaela Shiffrin failed to finish the slalom portion of the women’s combined event Monday on the opening day of the world championships.

Shiffrin was leading the race but skied out with only a few gates left before the finish.

The American was trailing leader Federica Brignone by 0.96 seconds after the super-G portion but has made up the difference before skiing out.

The combined event adds the results of a super-G run and a slalom run.

Shiffrin is competing in her first major event since failing to win a medal in six starts at last year’s Beijing Olympics. Her next race at the worlds is the super-G on Wednesday.

Shiffrin was the defending champion in the combined event. She has won six world titles and 11 medals overall in total from 13 previous starts at world championships.

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