Italy's Alessandro Pittin timed his dash for the line to perfection to claim his debut FIS Nordic Combined Skiing World Cup victory in the individual 10km gundersen in France.

In a thrilling finish, Kokslien entered the home straight neck and neck with compatriot Magnus Moan and Germany’s Bjoern Kircheisen.

But Kokslien put on the afterburners to take an impressive gold ahead of Moan by half a second.

It was harsh on Kircheisen who did the hard work in making the final breakaway from the pack and finished 1.2 seconds behind in third place but Kokslien bided his time superbly to take his maiden victory of the season.

That was only his second success in his short career and the result lifts him and Moan into the top ten however France’s Jason Lamy Chappuis, who finished in seventh, retains his lead in the world rankings with 590 points.

However the gap is slightly closed by Japan’s Akito Watabe who took fourth place in a photo finish. 

Sportsbeat / Eurosport