Shiffrin opens alpine world championships exiting slalom of women's combined event

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin missed what looked like a certain gold medal Monday on the opening day of the world championships, skiing out of the women's combined race with the finish in sight.

Shiffrin straddled the third-to-last gate in her slalom run while appearing to be close to beating first-run leader and eventual winner Federica Brignone of Italy.

"It doesn't happen very often, no. I felt like I was skiing really well," Shiffrin, who was the defending champion in the race, said from Meribel, France. "I had a really good run."

Shiffrin was competing in her first major event since failing to win a medal in six starts at last year's Beijing Olympics.

The American is having a standout season on the World Cup circuit, where has has won 11 races, including five slaloms, from 23 starts and looks to be on the way to her fifth overall title — generally regarded the most important prize in ski racing.

WATCH | Shiffrin skis out near end of Monday's slalom at worlds:

She won three races within six days two weeks ago to raise her career tally to 85 World Cup wins, beating former teammate Lindsey Vonn's women's record of 82 and moving within one of the overall record set by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark in the 1970s and 80s.

World championship races do not count toward World Cup wins.

Shiffrin was trailing Brignone by 0.96 seconds after the super-G portion but had made up 0.88 of that difference before skiing out.

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

"The only way I have a chance is to ski full, full gas. So I was doing that, take the risk that you don't finish," said Shiffrin, whose next race at worlds is the super-G on Wednesday. "This is what you have to do if you want to earn a medal