The 22-year-old triple Olympic champion, who won the men’s crystal globe last year, triumphed today in 3min, 22.14sec on the 1.6 kilometre course and now leads the overall standings on 1,443 points.

Italy’s Federico Pellegrino was 1.10 seconds behind and another Norwegian, Sindre Bjoernstad Skar, ended third, just 0.45 seconds further adrift.

Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov, who was second overall before the race, finished fourth, but that was good enough to keep the pressure on his Norwegian rival.

With two races to go, a mass start tomorrow and a pursuit on Sunday (March 24), four-time Olympic medallist Bolshunov is just 24 points behind.

On the women’s side, the sprint was won by Sweden’s Stina Nilsson in 3:44.80 as the overall World Cup leader Ingvild Flugstad Østberg had an off day.

The 28-year-old Norwegian failed to make the final but her overall lead prior to today’s action was significant enough that she remained in first place on 1,454 points.

Nilsson, the reigning Olympic sprint champion and today’s winner, is down in seventh on 806.

Sweden took all three podium places today as Maja Dahlqvist came second and Jonna Sundling finished third.

Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva, who is second overall, failed to make it to the quarter-finals.