Norway claims fifth biathlon gold medal in Winter Olympics

The middle two legs of the race looked like a victory parade for the ROC team, but a disastrous series of misses by Latypov destroyed their chances of gold, allowing Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen to swoop in and claim the win for Norway.

"We had the margins on our side, combined with Vetle performing at his best. We're so grateful," an elated Johannes Thingnes Boe said after securing his second relay gold of the Games, and his third overall.

"We never gave up, but we were so far behind I thought we were just fighting for the bronze," said Sturla Holm Laegreid, Norway's lead-off man.

Christiansen crossed the line 27.4 seconds ahead of Quentin Fillon Maillet of France, with Latypov coming home 17.9 seconds further back for a disappointing bronze medal finish.

Maillet was all the happier with his silver as it made for a total of five biathlon medals at one Olympics, more than any other athlete.

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Freezing temperatures of minus 15 Celsius prompted organisers to start the race 2-1/2 hours earlier than planned, and the competition began in blazing afternoon sunshine with blustery winds increasing the chill in the air.

In all, 21 teams of four set out, with each racer skiing three 2.5km laps and shooting twice, once from the prone position and once from standing.

The field remained tight through the first leg, with the top dozen teams skiing into the second shoot with only a few seconds between them, but the Norwegians soon found themselves well down the pack after an indifferent performance by Sturla Holm Laegreid.

The Russians took command over the middle two legs of the race, Alexander Loginov and Maxim Tsvetkov taking their time on the range and preserving their