France have claimed a second relay title at the biathlon world championships in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic with a single mixed relay win on Thursday.
Norway superstar Johannes Thingnes Bø, meanwhile, missed the chance of securing a record-equalling gold medal.
Led by Quentin Fillon Maillet and Lou Jeanmonnot, France had a clean shooting and clocked the fastest time of 36 minutes 21.7 seconds. The French team had already claimed the 4 x 6-kilometre mixed relay title.
“That was only my second single mixed relay appearance. The first one was at the French Cup, so it is amazing to become a world champion. Thank you to Lou, who finished a great job,” Maillet said.
Second place went to Italy, as Lisa Vittozzi claimed her third medal in Nove Mesto after having already secured 10-kilometre pursuit silver and 15km individual gold.
Bø, who already won two world titles at this year's championships, was seeking a record-equalling 20th gold medal at world championships, but had to settle for bronze after team-mate Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold was forced to ski one penalty lap for missing a shot.
“This kind of competition is always very stressful. At the last shooting, when I heard that Ingrid was missing a lot of bullets, I thought: keep your head in your shots, and it will be ok. It was tough, but we have succeeded,” Jeanmonnot said.
Norway's Ole Einar Bjørndalen holds the record for most gold medals at world championships (20).
Bø will have another chance to match the record in the men's 4 x 7.5km relay on Saturday.
