American Breezy Johnson was the first starter and then watched in disbelief as none of the 32 others managed to go faster which gave her a surprise gold medal in the world championship downhill on Saturday.

Johnson's time of 1 minute 41.29 seconds on the sun drenched 2,940 metres course was good enough to beat Mirjam Puchner from hosts Austria by .15 of a second.

The bronze went to Czeck Ester Ledecka, who has three Olympic golds from the super-g and snowboard parallel giant slalom, another six-hundredths back.

The top favourites struggled, with twice season winner and super-g silver medallist Federica Brignone 10th, fellow-Italian 2018 Olympic champion Sofia Goggia 16th, and Swiss great Lara Gut-Behrami failing to finish, to name a few.

Johnson faced a final threat from the 30th starter when German Emma Aicher was ahead of her at the splits in the first half of the race before fading to sixth.

Johnson has seven World Cup podiums to her name, the last one in December 2021, but no victory.

She only returned to action in mid-December after serving a 14-month ban over doping rules violations in connection with three missed tests in a 12-month period.

She placed fourth at the last downhill before the Saalbach worlds where she was rated a potential contender after coming second in the first two training sessions.

Johnson told Eurosport she had a feeling that the run "was good" after she crossed the finish line, even though "I had a few mistakes" and "it wasn't perfect."

She decided the race by skiing stronger than the others in the middle and lower section of the course to become the first American to win the downhill world title since Lindsey Vonn in 2009.

Vonn, who came out of almost six years of retirement this season at age 40 and after knee replacement surgery, placed 15th on Saturday after skiing out in the super-g two days earlier.

Vonn could also compete in Tuesday's team combined event in Saalbach but her main target are next year's Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, where the women's downhill is set to take place one year on the day after Saturday's event, February 8.

"The goal today was to keep my plan. To get kind of prepared for the Olympics next year," Vonn told Eurosport.

"I think I skied well, I missed one turn on the whole course, so I am happy with my execution. I just have work to do."

The world championships continue with the men's downhill on Sunday.