Digest

SPEED SKATING

China's Ren shines at Nagoya World Cup

Ren Ziwei won the men's 1,000m gold before leading China to silver medals in the men's 5,000m and mixed 2,000m relays at the Japan stop of the ISU World Cup Short-Track Speed Skating series in Nagoya on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Ren also finished second in the 1,500m final. Team China collected one gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the event.

Ren led all the way in the 1,000m race to clock 1 minute 26.297 seconds. Dutchman Itzhak de Laat was second (1:26.533), with Canada's Pascal Dion third (1:26.554).

The men's 5,000m final was a thrilling affair. Canada's Steven Dubois caught Chinese anchor Li Wenlong on the final corner to win in 6:52.272, pipping China by a mere 0.013 seconds. Hungary was third (6:52.386).

After the opening rounds in Beijing and Nagoya, the four-stop series, which acts as qualifying competition for Beijing 2022, moves on to Debrecen in Hungary (Nov 18-21) before concluding in Dordrecht in the Netherlands (Nov 25-28).

BASEBALL

Astros defeat Braves to extend World Series

Martin Maldonaldo drove in three runs and the Houston Astros extended their World Series title bid by rallying from a four-run deficit on Sunday to defeat Atlanta 9-5.

The 35-year-old Puerto Rican catcher became the first player in a World Series game to plate runs with a single, walk and sacrifice fly.

His efforts sparked the Astros, who pulled within 3-2 in Major League Baseball's best-of-seven final with game six on Tuesday in Houston.

Houston's Carlos Correa went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs while Marwin Gonzalez added a two-run single for the Astros, whose relief pitchers kept Atlanta to one run in the last eight innings.

"Carlos swung the bat great," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "I'm just glad we get to go back to Houston. One game at a time now. Still alive."

Atlanta's Adam Duvall smashed a grand slam home run in the first inning but the host Braves squandered the 4-0 lead as the Astros matched the 1919 Chicago White Sox for the largest deficit overcome to win a World Series game when facing elimination.

"I was trying to figure out how we could chip away at that, just trying to figure out how we could keep them from running away on us," Baker said.

RUNNING

Amateurs 'beat' legend to book 2024 spots

More than 1,000 amateur runners earned the chance to be part of the 2024 Olympic Games after "defeating" marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge in a special race in the heart of the French capital.

The five-kilometer run, which was staged on the Champs-Elysees, was an event to mark the 1,000-day countdown to the Paris Games.

Two-time Olympic champion Kipchoge started last among the field of 3,600, with all those he failed to catch winning spots in a public version of the 2024 Games marathon.

"It's the first time that I'm happy to have lost! My defeat is a victory for several hundred people who I will meet in 2024 here in Paris," said the 36-year-old Kipchoge.

The 2024 Paris Olympics will be the first Games to stage a public marathon on the same day as the official race along the same route.

"We want the Games to be more popular than ever. So that's why we organized today to celebrate the 1,000 days to go," said Paris 2024 organizing committee president Tony Estanguet.

"For the first time, you will have the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games and we will continue to have opportunities for everyone to be part of the Games."

SOCCER

Dortmund hopeful Erling will face Bayern

Borussia Dortmund hope star forward Erling Haaland will return from injury in time to face Bayern Munich in early December.

Haaland, one of the world's most coveted strikers, is currently sidelined with a hip flexor injury and is expected to be out at least until December.

Dortmund sports director Sebastian Kehl said in an interview on Sunday that the team will "do everything so that Erling is there for this game".

With both teams winning last weekend, Bayern leads the Bundesliga standings after 10 games, just a point ahead of Dortmund to make for a mouth-watering clash between the old rivals on Dec 4.

Kehl believes Haaland could be the difference maker in the match, saying: "To have him there would be unbelievably important for us".

However, he warned of rushing the Norway international back too soon, adding: "We carry a responsibility for his career."

Xinhua - Agencies