Marcel Hirscher was mathematically confirmed as overall World Cup champion ©Getty Images

Marcel Hirscher was mathematically confirmed as the International Skiing Federation (FIS) Alpine Skiing World Cup champion for the fifth year in a row as the season-ending meeting in St Moritz began with downhill today.

It was already known that the 27-year-old Austrian would clinch glory again as his only rival for the title, Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen, only races in slalom and giant slalom races and therefore could not gain enough points to catch him.

However Hirscher, the Sochi 2014 slalom silver medallist, refused to celebrate until he had checked "all calculations" and there is now no way of him being overhauled.

Kristoffersen, as expected, sat out today's downhill, as did Hirscher, who has a 353 point lead with just three races remaining.

Victory on the day went to Swiss skier Beat Feuz on home snow as Italy's Peter Fill won the overall downhill title following a 10th place finish.

Feuz was timed at 1 min 40.44 sec to beat Steven Nyman of the United States, who managed 1:40.52, into silver.

Erik Guay of Canada took bronze in a time of 1:40.98.

Fill was one of five skiers going into the final race in contention for the downhill title, and he became the first Italian to win the prize after clocking 1:41.80.

Peter Fill celebrates his downhill title
Peter Fill celebrates his downhill title ©Getty Images

He finishes the season on 462 points ahead of Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, who ended on 436 but missed the final half of the season after suffering an ACL injury in Kitzbühel.

Dominik Paris, another Italian, came third overall on 432 points after finishing 19th today.

"It was a great feeling and a dream came true for me today," said Fill, who won one race this season, in Kitzbühel.

"It was not an easy race for me today as the last racer, the visibility wasn't good and conditions were hard, but in the end it was a perfect day."

In the women's race in St Moritz, Austrian Mirjam Puchner won the first World Cup race of her career.

Her time of 1:40.93 denied Switzerland a home double as their skier Fabienne Suter finished in 1:41.06, with Elena Curtoni of Italy coming third in 1:41.10.

There were no titles to ski for with Swiss star Lara Gut already confirmed as overall champion and American Lindsey Vonn's uncatchable in the race for the downhill crown.

Action continues in St Moritz continues tomorrow with men's and women's super-G.