Hirscher on the double with parallel giant slalom win

ALTA BADIA: Olympic champion Marcel Hirscher continued his impressive form, winning the men's parallel giant slalom for the first time at Alta Badia on Monday to bring his career tally to 62 World Cup wins.

The Austrian finished ahead of French pair Thibaut Favrot and Alexis Pinturault in the nightrace in the Italian Dolomites, a day after crushing his rivals to claim the giant slalom for a sixth consecutive time.

Hirscher had never won the parallel giant slalom before with his previous best in his four attempts a third place finish last season.

But the 29-year-old was impressive on Monday night on the Grand Risa piste and remains firmly on track for an eighth consecutive overall World Cup win.

Hirscher eliminated two of the three previous winners -- Norway's Kjetil Jansrud in the last 16 and Sweden's Matts Olsson in the semi-finals.

He then beat unheralded Favrot in the final, with the 23-year-old French skier having earlier gotten the better of compatriot Pinturault in the semi-finals, to achieve his first career podium.

Pinturault topped last year's winner Olsson for the final spot on the podium, to follow his third place in Sunday's giant slalom.

It was the three-time Olympic medallist's second podium of the season.

For Hirscher it was a fourth win this season, having also won the slalom in Levi, Finland and giant slalom in Val d'Isere, France.

It also pulled him level with Austrian legend Annemarie Moser-Proell on 62 World Cup wins.

Hirscher now trails 20 behind American Lindsey Vonn, who is retiring after the Lake Louise event in 2019.

The record holder is Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark with 86 victories between 1973-1989.

The men's World Cup next heads to Saalbach, Austria, for a giant slalom and slalom to replace cancelled events in Soelden and Val d'Isere, France.