Bissonnette, the overall IBSF World Cup champion, was third going into the last two runs and managed to top the podium with a combined time of 3min 18.09sec.

His times of 49.21sec and 49.10 proved too hot for the rest of the field to handle as overnight leader Arturs Klots of Latvia was relegated to bronze medal position, with his team-mate Alvils Brants taking home the silver medal.

Brants was 0.89 seconds adrift of the winning time, clocking a combined 3:18.98 for his four runs, while Klots finished in 3:19.04.

Eric Eierdam of the United States, also the overall World Cup champion, secured the Para-skeleton honours as he led from start to finish, clocking 3:31.32 to end comfortably ahead of Britain’s Matthew Richardson.

The British competitor was 3.48 seconds behind the dominant American, while Australian Brendan Dover held on to bronze medal position in an overall 3:35.54.

Eierdam came into the second day of competition at the Utah Olympic Park as the man to beat and he did not disappoint, posting 53.01 in his third run before recording 52.82 in his fourth and final attempt to clinch the first-ever para-skeleton world title.

The maiden IBSF Para World Championship was attended by athletes representing nine countries - Australia, Austria, Canada, Spain, Britain, Latvia, The Netherlands, Norway and the United States.

It is hoped the event will help stake the claim for the sport to be included on the Paralympic Games programme at Beijing 2022.

insidethegames exclusively revealed last October that the IBSF were to bid for Paralympic inclusion after they were invited to apply by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The IPC opened the application process for the Games in six years’ time on October 1.

There are currently six sports on the Paralympic programme at  Pyeongchang 2018 – Alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey, snowboard and wheelchair curling – and the IPC have set a limit of seven for Beijing 2022.