(CNN) -- It might not have been a royal procession, but Ted Ligety's tag as "King of Schladming'"is undeniable after he reigned supreme in Austria Friday. The 28-year-old successfully defended his world giant slalom title to become the first male skier in 45 years to win triple gold at a single world championship. Ligety has enjoyed a stellar week on the slopes, winning the opening super-G before claiming gold in the super-combined. Having already won four of the five giant slalom events so far this season, Friday's victory was not so much of a surprise, but it catapults the U.S. star into the history books and crowns an outstanding past seven days.
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Ted Ligety won his third gold of world championships at Schladming
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U.S. star becomes first male skier in 45 years to win triple gold at a single world championship.
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Austria's Marcel Hirscher claimed silver and Italy's Manfred Moelegg took brone
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