Thingnes Boe held a 31-point lead over Fourcade in the sprint standings ahead of the eighth and final leg of the World Cup.

But, a model of consistency, Fourcade extended his record of making the podium in every World Cup race he has competed in this season, taking first, as Thingnes Boe placed 14th to win the title by two points. Germany's Arnd Peiffer was ranked third overall.

Frenchman Fourcade, who won three gold medals in PyeongChang, posted a time of 25 minutes 49 to assure him of victory and a 60-point haul.

That left Thingnes Boe knowing a top-12 place would be enough to add a crystal globe to his 20km individual Olympic title.

But his abject shooting in changing conditions left him to settle for 14th place, a full 1.22.4 behind the champion.

Fourcade was joined on the podium by compatriot Simon Desthieux, 33.2 seconds further back, while Sweden’s Fredrik Lindstroem was third.