The 27-year-old became the first skeleton female athlete to earn three world titles, having also topped the podium in 2016 and 2019. 

Switzerland's Marina Gilardoni had been leading proceedings after three runs, with Hermann starting the fourth and final run in second place. 

She set a new track record of 57.77 seconds to record a total time of 3min 54.52sec, putting the pressure on Gilardoni, the final athlete to compete.

Gilardoni lost her lead with a minor mistake, finishing 0.22 seconds behind Hermann. 

"It's just so crazy, I don't know what to say," Hermann said. 

"I was annoyed that I hadn't managed to get in a perfect run earlier. 

"But I knew: I can get a track record here."

Janine Flock of Austria was the bronze medallist in 3:55.73, while World Cup winner, Jacqueline Lölling of Germany, just missed out on the medals in fourth.

In the four-man bobsleigh, a German team led by Walther Nico have the lead at the halfway mark, with a total time of 1:48.50.

Latvia's Oskars Kibermanis is second in 1:48.55, followed by Germany's Johannes Lochner in 1:48.56. 

Competition continues tomorrow with the remaining races in the four-man bobsleigh and the skeleton mixed team competition.