But once Bø put the team of Laegreid, Tarjei Bø and Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen in front at the last exchange the result was a foregone conclusion, crossing the line in 1 hour 10min 51.4 sec at the Chiemgau Arena.

Norway’s last defeat in the 4x7.5km relay came in this event in Ruhpolding when Russia beat them, and they now won eight of the last nine races.

Bø, winner of four Olympic gold medals at Beijing 2022, might been on the glory leg, but he claimed it was an all-round impressive performance following the disastrous start on another five when the temperature reached five degrees centigrade, making the tracks soft, especially on the uphill sections.

Laegreid looked to be in control early on, controlling the pace on the first loop, but being given the penalty which dropped the Norwegians back 41 seconds.

“Today was special since we started with a penalty loop,” Bø, winner of the 20km individual on Wednesday (January 11), said.

“We built up, taking every second we could.

“In the end that is what put us in first place.

“It was a good team spirit and a good lesson to always fight to the end."

Laegreid admitted that his error had put Norway’s outstanding record in jeopardy.

“I think I had too little respect for the field,” he said.

“I was going in front the whole time; maybe using too much energy.

“With the crowd and all the adrenalin, you do not feel tired.

“Then when I came into the range and tried to pinpoint the targets, I felt little control.

“It is starting to become a bad habit for me to use extra shots in standing in the relay.

“It is time for me to change it.

“Luckily, I had good teammates who could fix the damage."

The home team Germany delighted the fans with their hard-fought second place finish with just four spare rounds, 20.1 seconds back. France, with one penalty and seven spares after leading early finished third, 55.6 seconds back.

This latest leg of the IBU World Cup in Ruhpolding is due to continue tomorrow with the women’s 4x6km relay.