Klæbo crossed the line in 2min 54.77sec as he led a final where the top four finishers were all Norwegian.

The triple Olympic champion also recorded the quickest times in the qualifying and semi-final stages.

Erik Valnes claimed the silver medal as he followed his compatriot across the finish line 0.37 later, while Paal Golberg pipped Even Northug to third place by 0.04 as he finished in 2:57.12sec.

Nepryaeva prevailed in the fiercely contested women's race with a time of 2:36.41.

Sweden's Johanna Hagström and Johanna Matintalo of Finland rounded out the top three as they clocked in 0.32 and 0.86 slower than Nepryaeva.

It was Matintalo's first World Cup podium of her career.

The eventual winner recovered from a lacklustre performance in the qualifiers as she recorded the 13^th best time to become the clear favourite thanks to leading displays in the quarter and semi-finals.

The result means that Klæbo retains pole position in the overall standings with 696 points, while Russia's Alexander Bolshunov and Valnes occupy second and third with 426 and 367 points, respectively.

In the women's table, Swede Frida Karlsson is in first place with 483 points.

Her compatriot Maja Dahlqvist follows closely behind on 464 points, while Jessie Diggins' 458 points is enough for the American to claim third.

Competition continues on January 3 as athletes head to Val di Fiemme in Italy.