Dominik Paris took a risky line on the Streif – and was rewarded with victory.

He was the fastest to master the challenging course, with a time of 1:09.99.

Matthias Mayer from the Austrian province of Carinthia was pipped to the post by a whisker (+0.06) and third place was also taken by an Austrian.

Georg Streitberger, who always performs well in Kitzbühel, secured his podium position with a technically good run, finishing 0.34 seconds behind the leader.

The Super-G kicked off with a surprise when Ted Ligety, one of the favourites for the Combined, missed a gate in the Zielschuss section.

The American with bib number one acted as a kind of test pilot for the course set by Norway’s Tron Moger.

Walkie talkies were running hot as the coaches scrambled to inform subsequent racers about key sections of the course.

Marcel Hirscher with bib number three had to cope with a scary moment.

Spectators caught their breath as he masterfully avoided a crash on the entrance to the traverse, managing to stay in the race for the Combined title.

The pace then upped a notch, turning the race into a real thriller in which Max Franz, Christoph Innerhofer and Georg Streitberger were able to take the leading roles.

Dominik Paris enjoyed a dream run, one that only Matthias Mayer was almost able to emulate.

The big favourite, Kjetil Jansrud, could not live up to expectations and, after a tricky run, ended up finishing seventh, 0.78 seconds behind the leader.

Leader, Dominik Paris, was lost for words: “I’m so happy to be standing here again. It’s unbelievable how well everything always goes here in Kitzbühel.”