Skiing: Alice Robinson crashes out in return from Covid-19

New Zealand skier Alice Robinson has suffered a major disappointment in her first race back after being sidelined by Covid-19.

The 20-year-old, who has three World Cup victories in Giant Slalom, has failed to finish the second run in her latest race in Lienz in Austria.

Robinson on track to snatch the lead from Italian Federica Brignone with just four skiers remaining, but straddled the gate just three from the finish, ending her run early.

Veteran Frenchwoman Tessa Worley won the race with a combined time of 2min03.88sec. She was 0.30sec faster than former world champion Petra Vlhova who finished second with Sweden's Sara Hector third.

Robinson had started from bib seven and produced the fifth fastest time on the opening run; recovering from a mistake early on to notched up the fifth quickest time in the third section of the course. She was well placed, just 0.45sec off the pace set by Worley.

Alice Robinson crashes out during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Giant Slalom in Austria. Photo / Getty Images

The young Kiwi had been fastest in training during the week on her return to the slopes after her forced absence.

Robinson missed back-to-back World Cup Giant Slaloms in Courchevel in France prior to Christmas and a World Cup Super G race at Val d'lsere which came days after a career best fourth in the discipline at St Moritz.

Covid-19 has wreaked havoc with the women's World Cup season so far with Robinson joined by some of the biggest names in the sport in being struck down by the virus.

American double Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin has tested positive and missed this morning's race while Swiss star Lara Gut Behrami has now missed the last four World Cup races she was due to compete in.

Robinson has slipped eight places to 32nd in the GS standings, having only competed in two of the four races held so far and next heads to Maribor in Slovenia for a World Cup GS on January 8.