Intro:

Double overall FIS World Cup skiing champion Marcel Hirscher of Austria wins the season-opener, ahead of fellow countryman Mario Matt in Levi, Finland on Sunday (17th November).

Script:

Double overall FIS World Cup skiing champion Marcel Hirscher of Austria, won the men's slalom event in Finland on Sunday.

The Black Run is an imposing course, with a vertical drop of 585 metres and 66 testing gates, for the competitiors to negotiate.

The 24-year-old Austrian clocked 52.80 seconds to take first place at the halfway stage, with a 0.2 advantage.

However double world champion Mario Matt, also of Austria, then set the standard with an overall time of one minute, 46.04 seconds, to take first place.

Hirscher skied seamlessly throughout the second run to clock an overall time of one minute, 45.42 seconds - securing his 10th consecutive slalom spot on the podium.

The winner dominated the slalom World Cup last season, winning the slalom world title as well as his second overall title.

His strong display here suggests he remains in top form, ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.