The home star, a four-time bronze medal winner at Sochi 2014, triumphed in an event which had initially been due to take place yesterday, before being postponed due to bad weather.

She and guide Vitalii Kazakov clocked 52min 49.60sec in the Ukrainian resort.

Austria's Caro Edlinger placed over a second behind in silver medal position in 53:56.40.

Another Ukrainian took bronze in the form of Olga Prylutska, in 54:39.40.

France dominated the equivalent men's event.

World Championships silver medallist Thomas Clarion placed first in 56:25.9 in front of Anthony Chalencon in 58:42.7.

Ukraine’s Iurii Utkin took third place in 58:55.9.

The host nation dominated across the long distance events.

World champion Oleksandra Kononova followed up her win in the women’s middle distance classic standing with another first place in the long distance freestyle in 50:11.3.

Ukraine performed a clean sweep in this event, as Iuiia Batenkova placed second, in 50:14.8, and Liudmyla Liashenko third in 51:18.5.

Ihor Reptyukh won the men's standing in 57:05.7 as Norway's Nils-Erik Ulset finished second in 57:54.8.

Reptyukh’s compatriot Grygorii Vovchynskyi took third place in 59:51.5.

Germany's Andrea Eskau broke the trend by winning the women's sitting event in 43:07.1.

Team-mate Anja Wicker placed second in 45:22.1 and Belarus' Lidziya Hrafeyeva was third in 45:33.2.

South Korea’s Eui Hyun Sin’s won the men's sitting gold in 45:53.3.

Ukraine's Maksym Yarovyi finished second in 46:20.0 and Belarus' Dzmitry Loban was third in 47:32.9.

The World Cup will continue tomorrow with sprint freestyle cross-country before the focus switches to biathlon.