Kriechmayr was one place behind World Cup leader Marco Odermatt in the running order and was the only skier to go faster than the Swiss, seizing the lead thanks to an excellent final sector.

Austria's Kriechmayr completed the course in 1min 25.44sec, 0.11sec quicker than Odermatt.

Another Austrian, the former Olympic downhill champion and Beijing 2022 bronze medallist Matthias Mayer, was 0.02 behind Odermatt in third.

Frenchman Johan Clarey was fourth, 0.23 off the leader's pace, and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde 0.26 back in fifth.

Norway's Kilde had won two downhill races in a row entering today's contest.

A super-G race is scheduled tomorrow at the Italian venue, followed by another downhill on Saturday (December 17).

Odermatt remains the overall Alpine Ski World Cup leader, 175 points ahead of Kilde.

Kriechmayr has risen to third in the overall standings but is well adrift, with 252 points versus Odermatt's 600.