Krasnaya Polyana, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - France's Martin Fourcade won the men's biathlon pursuit on Monday, coasting to the finish line with enough of a lead that he took time to wave to spectators and blow kisses at a TV camera.
Earlier, after hitting his last five targets, Fourcade turned and pumped his fist at the crowd.
He started the race 12 seconds behind Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who was trying to set the all-time record for most Winter Olympics medals but had to ski three penalty loops after missing shots on three of his four stops.
Bjoerndalen finished fourth behind Ondrej Moravec of the Czech Republic and Jean Guillaume Beatrix of France.
Fourcade won his second Olympic medal after a silver in the 15-kilometer mass start four years ago.
The 25-year-old Frenchman missed one shot, in the standing position, and finished the 12.5-kilometer race with a time of 33 minutes, 48.6 seconds -- 14.1 seconds ahead of Moravec.
Bjoerndalen crossed 1.7 seconds after Beatrix. He had a one-second head start in the race after winning the men's sprint on Saturday for his 12th Winter Olympics medal. That tied countryman Bjorn Daehlie, a retired cross-country skier, for the most all-time.
Canada's Jean-Philippe Le Guellec held the lead briefly after Bjoerndalen's first miss, but lost an edge around a turn and fell. He finished 26th, 15 spots behind teammate Nathan Smith.
Tim Burke was the top American, ending 22nd. He also had the best U.S. finish in Saturday's sprint, a 19th-place showing.
