The two-time Olympic champion has been the dominant force at the competition in the Norwegian capital and secured his third individual triumph by completing the course in a time of 49min 13.9sec.

Fourcade was made to fight all the way to the line by Austria’s Dominik Landertinger, who claimed the silver medal, finishing 5.1 seconds adrift.

Landertinger’s team-mate Simon Eder, an Olympic 4x7.5km relay silver medallist at Vancouver 2010, came home to take the bronze medal, 14.4 seconds behind the formidable Frenchman.

There was to be no medal for the host country as home favourite Johannes Thingnes Bø, the 2015 10km sprint world champion, was Norway’s highest placed biathlete, finishing outside of the medals in fourth.

Fourcade has been the star of the World Championships in Oslo and his success today followed victories in the 10km sprint and 12.5km sprint races.

The 27-year-old was also a member of the French quartet which won the mixed relay event on the opening day of the Championships.

“I love [the 20km race] so much,” he said.

“I have won nine of the last 11 of them.

“This is an amazing feeling; the same as last year - the difference is that I only won the individual last year!

“I knew after the last standing, that I was in a position to win.

“I had my eyes closed going up the last hill; there was so much pain.

"I gave everything I had, probably more.”

Fourcade will now have the chance to complete a clean sweep of the individual world titles on offer in Oslo when he participates in the men’s 15km mass start race on the final day of the Championships on Sunday (March 13).

“I told my coach this morning that I wanted to win to be in that position,” the Frenchman added.

“Now I am."