It took a photo at the finish to determine it but Howden got to the line first, just ahead of Niklas Bachleitner of Germany, while Simone Deromedis of Italy edged Leharr for bronze.
“The plan was to not come out in front, the draft was too strong,” Howden told Alpine Canada. "I wanted to chill in the middle of the pack and give my legs a bit of a break and once I made that last turn fire up those engines and get out in front.”
"Today was a day of racing, not a day of leading, so I was super happy with my execution and it couldn't have gone any better."