Anna Fenninger, the two-time reigning World Cup overall champion, stopped ski training in Austria on Tuesday due to persistent knee problems, according to Austrian reports.
The World Cup season-opening giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, is Oct. 24.
Fenninger, 26, is favored to win her third straight World Cup overall title this season given last year’s runner-up, Tina Maze, is taking this season off.
The biggest threats to Fenninger are Americans Lindsey Vonn, who owns four World Cup overall titles, and Mikaela Shiffrin, the Olympic, World and World Cup slalom champion. Vonn and Shiffrin were third and fourth in the World Cup overall standings last season.
Vonn, 30, suffered an ankle fracture in a New Zealand training crash Aug. 13 but plans to train in Austria in mid-October and race in Soelden, according to Austrian media reports quoting the head of her ski equipment company last week. Vonn’s camp has not confirmed the reports.
Vonn missed Soelden the last two seasons as she worked her way back from major knee surgeries. Fenninger and Shiffrin shared the Soelden win to open last season.
Vonn and Fenninger are best at the speed events of downhill and super-G. The first World Cup speed event of this season is not until Dec. 4.
Vonn has said her primary goal this season is to win her first World Cup overall title since 2012.
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Anna #Fenninger quit #ski training in Austria today with knee injury. No word yet on how serious. Has struggled before with knee problems.
— Eric Willemsen (@eWilmedia) September 29, 2015
UPDATE: Fenninger’s social media pages said Wednesday that she hoped to return to snow next week.