Austria's Marcel Hirscher has been awarded the Skieur d'Or Trophy by the International Association of Ski Journalists ©Getty Images

Austria's Marcel Hirscher has been awarded the Skieur d'Or Trophy by the International Association of Ski Journalists (AIJS) for the fourth time in his career. 

The reigning Olympic champion in the giant slalom and Alpine combined won 12 competitions last season to secure his seventh consecutive overall Alpine Skiing World Cup title.

Having won the Skieur d'Or Trophy in 2012, 2015 and 2016, Hirscher now has the same amount of awards as Swiss skiing legend Pirmin Zurbriggen.

Marcel Hirscher of Austria celebrates winning his seventh consecutive Alpine Ski World Cup ©Getty Images
Marcel Hirscher of Austria celebrates winning his seventh consecutive Alpine Ski World Cup ©Getty Images

The annual award is voted on by members of the AIJS and is given out in October before the start of the new World Cup season.

Hirscher was closely followed in the voting by Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic.

She sensationally won Olympic golds in two different sports at Pyeongchang 2018 - the super-G in skiing and the snowboard parallel slalom.