The Frenchman had been forced to settle for second place in the sprint yesterday behind Johannes Thingnes Bø.

Bø presented his rival with an opportunity when he picked up three penalties during the second shooting section, while Fourcade shot cleanly.

Fourcade, the Olympic champion in the event, pulled clear of his rival on the Austrian course and sought to increase his advantage throughout the remainder of the event.

He entered the final loop on the course with a strong lead and sealed victory.

The Frenchman finished in a winning time of 32min 22.3sec, aided by clean shooting throughout the race.

Germany's Arnd Peiffer finished 13 seconds down on the winner, with Norway’s Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen clean shooting to secure a maiden podium finish a further two seconds adrift.

Bø, who started first, would finish in ninth place.

Kaisa Mäkäräinen triumphed in the women’s 10km pursuit event, despite ending with three penalties.

The Finnish skier sprinted into the lead in the closing kilometre of the race to secure her third win of the season.

Mäkäräinen crossed the line in a time of 30:53.8.

Slovakia’s Paulina Fialkova was just 1.5 second behind the winner, with the runner-up finish equalling her best World Cup result.

Italy's sprint winner Dorothea Wierer ended third, having finished a further second down.

The World Cup event in Hochfilzen will conclude tomorrow with the men’s and women’s relay events.

Competition has been overshadowed, however, by an announcement from Austrian police that they are investigating five Russian athletes and five support staff for doping offences during last year's World Championships.