Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr were among the big names that were expected to challenge for gold at the French resort but it was Crawford who stunned the field to become world champion.

Crawford, an Olympic bronze medallist in the Alpine combined, claimed victory in 1min 07.22sec, edging out Kilde by the narrowest of margins.

"Honestly, I’m in disbelief," said Crawford, who has earned just three World Cup podium spots in his career, all coming last year.

"I skied my best today.

"I really just tried to have the same mindset from top to bottom.

"I didn’t feel like I fatigued or got out of the rhythm.

"At the bottom where it was a little more challenging and steep, I managed to bring the same intensity as to the top.

"It panned out.

"Winning a race in general has been a dream of mine since I was young.

"For it to come in a World Championships is amazing.

"I'm a little bit lucky, we could have raced again and he [Kilde] could have won. He's one of the best in the world.

"I have a huge amount of respect for him.

"I feel bad for beating him, but it's unbelievable."

Kilde, a winner of two super-G Crystal Globes, missed out on gold by just 0.01 as he had to settle for silver in 1:07.23.

"It’s a classic example of this being a brutal sport but amazing sport," he said.

"It’s small margins.

"You have a guy who has never won a race before, he comes in and delivers a gold.

"It’s brilliant.

"For me it’s a little bit of a pity, to miss by 27 centimetres, that’s tough, but it’s my first medal."

France’s Alexis Pinturault followed up his success in the men’s Alpine combined by winning super-G bronze in 1:07.48 as Odermatt came fourth.

"I made a really strong run, and I saw I was ahead of Odermatt, who has been strong since the beginning of the winter, so I was thinking I would be on the podium,” said Pinturault.  

"I can feel the atmosphere at the start and that a lot of people were cheering for me.

"I really want to enjoy this moment."