The reigning Olympic gold medallist headed into the event second in the overall World Cup standings and was looking to reduce the deficit to China’s Qi Guangpu.

Qi was looking to extend his advantage with a victory here, with the event doubling as a test event for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics.

Kushnir would ultimately emerge as the victor by achieving a total score of 119.47 points with his effort today, fighting off the competition of five rivals in the big final.

The closest challenger would prove to be Qi, who was awarded a score of 118.55 by the judges.

Mac Bohonnon of the United States would round off the podium with a tally of 116.74 points, with China’s Liu Zhongqing narrowly adrift on 116.37 in fourth.

The two-time reigning world champion Qi remains at the top of the World Cup rankings with 360 points, but Kushnir now lies on 308 in second position.

Victory in the women’s competition went to Xu Mengtao, who led home a Chinese clean sweep of the podium.

Xu achieved a score of 96.93 in the big final, with her effort placing the Chinese star well clear of her rivals.

Her team-mates Shen Xiaoxue and Yang Yu completed the top three, scoring 72.26 and 70.72 respectively.

The victory saw Xu move to the top of the overall World Cup standings, as she now boasts 340 points.

Australia's Danielle Scott, who finished second today, is just 18 points adrift despite losing her lead.

Competition is due to continue tomorrow, with moguls set to be contested.