Hochfilzen, Austria - Emil Hegle Svendsen won the men's 12.5-kilometre biathlon pursuit on Saturday to register a third victory of the season and extend his lead in the World Cup standings.

The 23-year-old Norwegian, who also won Friday's sprint, claimed victory in a time of 45 minutes, 46.32 seconds, despite missing three times on the shooting range in Hochfilzen.

Compatriot Ole Einar Bjoerndalen finished second, 9.3 seconds behind Svendsen after missing two targets. Poland's Tomasz Sikora, who like Svendsen missed three targets, was third, 12.0 seconds off the pace.

The double world champion Svendsen tops the World Cup with 276 points. He has finished on the podium in each of the five men's races, winning three and coming third in the other two.

A women's 10km pursuit was scheduled for later Saturday. (dpa)