Sweden's Hanna Öberg also earned her first win of the season in the women’ s 12.5km mass start.

Maillet, a 27-year-old from Champagnole, clocked 36min 21.5sec on the concluding day of action at the Slovenian venue, leaving in his wake a top class field that included Norway’s defending overall champion Johannes Thingnes Bø and his French compatriot Martin Fourcade, five times an Olympic champion.

Bø, who was making his return to action in Pokljuka having missed the first two World Cups of the year on paternity leave, had won Friday’s men’s 20km individual event.

But today he had to settle for third place, 10.3sec behind Maillet, with two penalties.

Second place went to Germany’s Benedikt Doll ten seconds behind the winner with one penalty.

Maillet had just a single penalty en route to his third career win.

 “I knew on the last loop and the last shooting; there were many people who could win," Maillet told the IBU. 

"I knew that I must shoot clean…fast, because I knew that I had a good shape.

"I did my best today and am very happy to have this first win this season.”

Victory has established Maillet in second place in the overall men’s World Cup rankings on 532 points, with Fourcade, who was fifth today 10.8sec behind, top on 601.

Bø, who finished more than 400 points clear overall last season as he topped the individual, sprint, pursuit and mass start rankings, is currently third on 482 with 13 of the 24 scheduled races completed.

Bø's team-mate Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen finished fourth, with one penalty, 10.6 sec back.

For Maillet, today marked a triumphant end to a World Cup in which he had collected gold as a member of the victorious French team in the 4x7.5km relay the previous day.

Öberg earned victory with a fast, clean last standing stage and a finishing time of 24min 14.4sec.

 She had just one penalty, beating Italy’s clean-shooting Lisa Vittozzi by 6.5sec.

Vittozzi’s second place was her first individual podium finish this season.

Anais Bescond of France, who had earned gold in the previous day’s single mixed relay, added a bronze today as she shot clean and finished 27.6sec back.

“It feels really nice to finally get a victory,” said Öberg, who is third in the overall standings on 456 points behind Italy’s defending champion Dorothea Wierer on 509 and leader Tiril Eckhoff of Norway, who has 524.

“I have some podium places now but I missed the victory.”

Monika Hojnisz-Starega had her season's best result in fourth place, with one penalty, 37.5 sec back.

Bescond’s team-mate Justine Braisaz finished fifth, with three penalties, 44.1 sec back, while Norway’s Marte Olsbu Røiseland finished fifth also with three penalties, 48.4 sec back.