FIGURE SKATING

Jin scrapes through to Grand Prix Final

China's Jin Boyang has qualified for next month's ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final after the final event of the series, the NHK Trophy, concluded in Sapporo, Japan over the weekend.

Jin's gold medal at the Cup of China and a sixth-place finish at Skate America saw the two-time world bronze medalist finish sixth, with 20 points, in the GP standings to earn the last ticket to the Final.

Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu ranked first after triumphing by a huge margin on home ice on Saturday.

Reigning world champion Nathan Chen of the United States finished second thanks to his victories in the US and France.

Chinese pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong won Saturday's pairs to top the GP standings. Third-ranked Peng Cheng and Jin Yang are also through to the Final, which will take place in Turin, Italy, from Dec 5-8.

SKELETON

China's sledders enjoy success at Lake Placid

China's Yan Wengang snatched the gold medal in skeleton at the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) North American Cup in Lake Placid, New York on Friday.

The event was the first stop of the new season for China's men's skeleton team.

Yan shared the lead with Germany's Martin Rosenberger after his first run (54.03 seconds) before again topping the standings in his second run, with 54.13. Rosenberger could only manage a fourth-best 54.98 with his second attempt and had to settle for silver.

Samoa's Nathan Crumpton was third overall, clocking 54.74 and 54.34.

China's Geng Wenqiang also won skeleton gold on Thursday at the meet.

SOCCER

Evergrande sinks SIPG to close on CSL title

Guangzhou Evergrande put one hand on the Chinese Super League trophy with a 2-0 home win over title rival and defending champion Shanghai SIPG on Saturday.

Brazilian Anderson Talisca broke the deadlock for the CSL leader a minute before the break and then sealed victory with a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time after winning the spot-kick himself.

"I was absent for three and a half months due to injury, and I have been struggling to regain my form, but today I feel like I have got myself back. Being able to score a brace and help the team win the match, I am very happy," said Talisca, who had failed to hit the net in his previous five games.

Evergrande's title destiny is now in its own hands with two games remaining－at Hebei China Fortune and at home to Shanghai Shenhua. The seven-time champion leads second-place Beijing Guo'an by two points, with SIPG a further two points back in third.

Elsewhere, Beijing Renhe was relegated to the second tier thanks to a 3-2 defeat to Jiangsu Suning.

Hebei's Mascherano set to return home

Former Argentina international captain Javier Mascherano will leave Hebei China Fortune next month to join Estudiantes, the Argentine Superliga club said on Saturday.

"We traveled 19,000km to welcome Javier. Estudiantes is home," the club said in an official statement, accompanied by a video recorded in Beijing.

The 35-year-old former Argentina captain joined Langfang-based Hebei from Barcelona in 2017.

He has not played at club level in his homeland since a 2005 move from River Plate to Brazil's Corinthians. The defensive midfielder/central defender later had spells with West Ham and Liverpool in England before arriving at Barcelona in 2010.

Estudiantes is currently eighth in Argentina's top-flight standings, with seven wins, one draw and five losses.

ATHLETICS

Kenyan runners reign at Yibin marathon

Kenyan runners swept the podium places at the 2019 Yibin International Marathon on Saturday in Yibin, Sichuan province.

Unlike most marathons which start in the morning, the Yibin event gunned off at 2pm. Wilson Mugikiara won in two hours, 30 minutes and 49 seconds, followed by compatriots David Kiptuitarus (2:30.52) and Raymond Kipronokomen (2:32.40).

This year's race was a test run for a much larger-scale Yibin marathon next year which will be held on May 2. The event is expected to attract about 30,000 participants and will feature a regular marathon, a half marathon and two other fun runs. Registration opened on Sunday at yibin.cd42195.com.

Sichuan also stages two other major long-distance races that boast 30,000-strong fields－the Chengdu International Marathon and the Chengdu WNCH Marathon.

Kipchoge, Muhammad named athletes of year

Marathon great Eliud Kipchoge and American hurdler Dalilah Muhammad have been named track and field's world athletes of the year.

Kipchoge claimed the men's accolade after becoming the first person to run a sub-two-hour marathon, even though that feat, achieved in Vienna in October, wasn't officially recognized as a world record.

Muhammad took the women's honor after winning world championship gold in the 400-meter hurdles in a world-record time, fending off competition from Kenyan Brigid Kosgei, who in October broke the women's marathon world record, and Ethiopia-born Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, who won 5,000m and 10,000m golds at September's world championships in Doha.

Ethiopia's world 5,000m silver medalist Selemon Barega was named men's rising star of the year, while Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the equivalent women's award.