Johannes Thingnes Bø claimed a third gold medal for Norway at the biathlon world championships in Nove Mesto, Cezech Republic as the nation continued to dominate the men's competitions.
Bø clocked 45 minutes 49.0 seconds in the 20-kilometre race on Wednesday to finish at the top of the podium despite one missed target.
This was Bø's 19th gold medal at world championships and he's now one medal away of equalling the record of 20 gold medals set by compatriot Ole Einar Bjørndalen.
"I tried to save power before the start and just have a very slow warm up. I used the first loop to get into the race. I had a lot of power in the end as well. Good shape, good skis and a good performance," Bø, who also tops the World Cup standings, told broadcasters ZDF.
His brother, Tarjei Bø, was second, 58.9 seconds behind and also with one missed target.
Norway swept all podium places in the 10km sprint and the 12.5km pursuit, but failed to complete a hat-trick as Benedikt Doll of Germany took gold in Wednesday's race.
"I'm very surprised. I like to run the individual races, because it's less stressful, more peaceful, you can concentrate more on your own thing. I had lots of fun today. I'm very proud that I remained calm at the shooting range," Doll told ZDF.
