Alpine skiing - Shiffrin skids out in Kronplatz after rare slip

KRONPLATZ, Italy (Reuters) - Runaway World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin made a rare slip on Tuesday when she skidded off the course and failed to complete the first leg of the giant slalom at Kronplatz in Italy.

(Reuters)

Shiffrin, who has won 10 World Cup races this season, had nearly finished her run when she made her error. The U.S. skier was back up quickly and appeared annoyed with herself rather than hurt physically.

The 22-year-old is among the favourites for next month's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where she is widely expected to retain the slalom title she won at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. She will also be in contention for gold in both the giant slalom and Super G.

German Viktoria Rebensburg won the race in a combined time of 2 minutes 6.19 seconds. Shiffrin leads the overall World Cup standings on 1,477 points, with Rebensburg second on 634.

(Writing by Brian Homewood in Bern; Editing by John O'Brien and David Goodman)