Bø had to come past his rivals due to a late penalty lap to win the gold, finishing 3.6sec ahead of Austria's Felix Leitner, who kept a clean shooting record.

Also keeping a clean target was bronze medallist Benjamin Weger, coming in 7.8sec behind Bø.

Leitner's silver medal marked the first time he had made the World Cup podium as an individual.

Accuracy was necessary in the race, and if Italy's Lukas Hofer had not missed two targets, he would have likely made the podium.

He finished 12.5 behind, narrowly holding off Austria's Simon Eder, another who kept a clean shooting record, in fifth.

Russia's Matvey Eliseev was then 20 seconds down in sixth place with one penalty to his name.

The name Bø is a familiar one at the top of the podium, but it is usually the younger brother, Johannes Thingnes Bø with the gold medal.

This time Thingnes Bø struggled after missing four targets which forced him down to seventh and out of contention for a medal.

He still remains in the lead of the World Cup.

Germany's Erik Lesser and the French pair of Simon Desthieux and Quentin Fillon Maillet completed the top 10.

Later, France's Julia Simon won by a similar margin as she made up for some difficult shooting to claw her way back into the gold medal position in the women's 12.5km mass start.

It is her first individual victory of the season and her second of her career, doing enough to hold off Germany's Franziska Preuß, who finished 3.9 behind with only two penalty laps to Simon's three.

Sweden's Hanna Öberg had a glimpse of a return to form after winning the bronze, 11.7 behind the Frenchwoman.

The Swede's skiing helped her past Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold of Norway and compatriot Mona Brorsson, who finished seconds behind in fourth and fifth respectively.

Some of the top performers in this World Cup season were in the lower ends of the top 10, with Italy's Dorothea Wierer finishing a distant sixth.

Overall World Cup leader Marte Olsbu Røiseland of Norway suffered four penalty laps, only finishing seventh, but crucially a place ahead of her closest compatriot, challenger and former leader, Tiril Eckhoff, who also missed four targets.

France's Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Marketa Davidova of the Czech Republic completed the top 10.

Antholz-Anterselva is set to host the next leg of the IBU World Cup from Thursday (January 21) to next Sunday (January 24).