Giovanni Franzoni won the men's super-G in Bansko ©Getty Images

Italy's Giovanni Franzoni secured the first gold medal of the Alpine Junior World Ski Championships by winning the men's super-G in Bansko.

Franzoni, the favourite for the title after he finished 14th in the giant slalom at the senior World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo last month, clocked a time of 49.70sec to take the junior title.

Lukas Feurstein of Austria narrowly missed out on gold as he was 0.04sec slower in second place.

The bronze medal went to Switzerland's Gael Zulauf, who completed the course at the Bulgarian venue in 49.75.

Giovanni Franzoni will be eyeing further victories before the conclusion of men's events at the Championships ©Getty Images
Giovanni Franzoni will be eyeing further victories before the conclusion of men's events at the Championships ©Getty Images

Today's triumph for Franzoni could be the first of many at the Junior World Championships.

As part of coronavirus protocols in place for the Championships at Pririn Mountain, the first Alpine skiing competition of this level to be hosted in Bulgaria, men and women are due to compete separately with a two-day break between their competitions.

The men are set to compete in the giant slalom tomorrow, before the slalom takes place on Friday (March 5).

Women's events are scheduled to begin on Monday (March 8) and run through to Wednesday (March 10).