Kline finished in one minute, 30.13 seconds, 0.24 seconds behind Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway. The Austrian Marcel Hirscher came in third.

The Maribor native, who turns 25 on 9 March, has emerged as the unlikely flag bearer for the Slovenian men's team this season.

A former youth world champion, Kline struggled with the transition from junior to top-level competition.

He had missed Olympic season 2013/2014 due to a bad knee injury that he attributes to excessive training.

But he told Delo in a recent interview that he was now more mature, noting that many top downhillers peak after 25.

Another Slovenian, Klemen Kosi, came in 10th.