The 22-year-old was third overall after the last campaign but started in style today in the 1994 Winter Olympic host.

She recorded two jumps of exactly 96 metres on the small hill to top the pile with a score of 271.5 points.

"It feels great to start a season with a victory, especially here in Lillehammer where I train," said Lundby, who topped qualification yesterday.  

"I jumped well although there are some things I need to improve. 

"I want to focus on jumping well and on my technique this weekend."

Germany claimed the remaining two places on the podium as Katharina Althaus won silver and Carina Vogt bronze.

Althaus jumped 94m and 93m for 262.2 points with Sochi 2014 Olympic champion Vogt managing 92m and 88.5m for an end-score of 252.2.

Japan's Sara Takanashi, bidding for a third overall World Cup title in a row, had to make do with fourth place after nine individual victories last season.

She jumped 93m and 89m and registered 252.0 points.

Two more competitions will be held over the next two days as part of the inaugural "Lillehammer Triple" event, which will crown a champion based on results from the three competitions. 

Tomorrow's action will again take place on the small hill before a large hill event on Sunday (December 3).

"I am very happy with my performance today," said Vogt. 

"I struggled a lot with this hill last year so I am very satisfied. 

"Lillehammer Triple is a great idea. 

"We need to take a next step in ladies' ski jumping and this is one of them. 

"I am also looking forward to jumping on the large hill." 

The third leg of the men's season also began today with men's qualification action in Nizhny Tagil in Russia.

Germany's Markus Eisenbichler led the way with the furthest leap of 133.5m to register 143.5 points.

Johann Andre Forfang of Norway jumped 132m to rank second on 141.1 with another German, Pius Paschke, third on 132.5m and 141.3 points.

Poland's Olympic champion Kamil Stoch, World Cup holder Stefan Kraft of Austria and Slovenia's Jernej Damjan, the winner of the second leg of the season last weekend in Ruka in Finland, are all safely through to the final tomorrow.

They qualified in fifth, sixth and ninth respectively with the top 50 all progressing.

There will be a new individual leader of the World Cup standings following the two individual events in Nizhny Tagil, however.

Japan's Junshirō Kobayashi, who won the season-opener in Wisla in Poland, is not present in Russia as the country's A-team has opted to skip the event to train at home instead.