Competing amid heavy snowfall and strong winds in the German resort, Eberhard missed just one shooting target before skiing clear to win in 27min 26.80sec.

He won by 10.8 seconds over Michal Slesingr of Czech Republic.

Dominik Windisch of Italy was third, 40.3 seconds behind.

Eberhard credited his success on extra shooting training over the festive period.

"I saw in December that I had excellent ski times, so I spent some time over New Year and Christmas on the shooting range, focusing more than usual on my shooting," he said.

"Conditions today were very difficult: a lot of snow, a lot of fresh snow and a lot of wind. 

"It was a difficult but a really good day for me."

Eberhard's only previous World Cup triumph came in another sprint event in Khanty-Mansiysk during the 2015-2016 season.

All three podium finishers missed one shot which Windisch's team-mate Lukas Hofer had to be content with fourth, one tenth of a second behind, despite a clear round.

A dropped pole as he began skiing following the shoot cost him precious seconds and ultimately proved key.

France's World Cup leader Martin Fourcade of France missed three targets while standing and finished eighth.

The five-time defending champion still leads overall with a total of 502 points after nine events.