Ski ace Shiffrin tests positive for Covid-19

American double Olympic alpine ski gold medallist Mikaela Shiffrin has tested positive for Covid-19, she announced on social media on Monday.

The 26-year-old three-time overall World Cup champion will miss the meeting at Lienz on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Her positive test comes just over a month from the Winter Olympics in Beijing, where she will hope to add to the slalom gold she won in 2014 and the giant slalom title in 2018. 

“Unfortunately I had a positive COVID test. I’m following protocol and isolating, & I will miss Lienz,” she tweeted.

Shiffrin did not say when she tested positive, or if she had already arrived in Austria where she was due to compete in a giant slalom and then a slalom.

Shiffrin — who leads this season’s World Cup standings — is the latest female ski star to be forced to isolate after testing positive.

Switzerland’s 2016 overall World Cup champion Lara Gut-Behrami missed the Val d’Isere and Courchevel meetings.

Austria’s double ski world champion Katharina Liensberger also missed the Courchevel round of the World Cup season.

Liensberger is not a certain starter either in Lienz where there will be no spectators due to Covid.

“We are conscious of our responsibility,” said Roswitha Stadlober, president of the Austrian Ski Federation.

The women’s World Cup season moves on to Zagreb on January 4 — for a slalom — and then Maribor in Slovenia (Jan 8/9).