World Sports News in Brief

Kipchoge and Ibarguen named IAAF athletes of the year

Kenya’s marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Colombian jumper Caterine Ibarguen were honoured as IAAF athletes of the year at athletics’ annual awards ceremony on Tuesday.

Caterine Ibarguen is presented the female athlete of the year by Prince Albert II of Monaco at the IAAF Athletics Awards held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on December 4, 2018. (Photo: Reuters)
Caterine Ibarguen is presented the female athlete of the year by Prince Albert II of Monaco at the IAAF Athletics Awards held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on December 4, 2018. (Photo: Reuters)

Olympic champion Kipchoge shattered the world marathon record by 78 seconds as he completed the Berlin Marathon in two hours, one minute and 39 seconds while Ibarguen was the Diamond League champion in both the long jump and triple jump.

* AS Monaco striker Radamel Falcao scored two penalties to secure a 2-0 win at Amiens on Tuesday as they moved out of the Ligue 1 relegation zone to ease the pressure on manager Thierry Henry. It was Monaco's second win in three league games and saw them leapfrog Amiens and Dijon into 17th in the 20-team table.

* The Court of Arbitration for Sport handed Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky a four-year ban on Tuesday following a positive dope test at the Pyeongchang Olympics in February. The Russian and his wife Anastasia Bryzgalova were stripped of their mixed doubles bronze at the time of the Games in the Republic of Korea after an in-competition test for the banned substance Meldonium.

* Spain's five times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez had successful shoulder surgery in Barcelona on Tuesday and faces a six-week rehabilitation programme, his Honda team said. The 25-year-old, who took his third title in a row in October, had suffered a recurring dislocation of his left shoulder throughout the year.

* Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek will not be allowed to leave the club during the January transfer window, manager Maurizio Sarri said on Tuesday.

* Barcelona midfielder Rafinha will be sidelined for six months after a knee operation, the Spanish champions confirmed Tuesday. The Brazilian international will miss the remainder of the season after tearing cruciate knee ligaments during the 1-1 La Liga draw at Atletico Madrid on Nov. 24.

* Budapest will host the 2023 athletics world championships, the governing IAAF announced on Tuesday. The 2019 world championships will be held in Doha, Qatar, and the 2021 edition in Eugene, Oregon.

* Fernando Alonso will have a Chevrolet engine in his McLaren when the double Formula One champion attempts to win next year's Indianapolis 500 at the second attempt, the British team announced on Tuesday.

* Athletic Bilbao sacked coach Eduardo Berizzo and replaced him with B team manager Gaizka Garitano on Tuesday after a dire run of form which has left the Basque club 18th in La Liga. Bilbao fell to a 3-0 defeat at Levante on Monday, continuing a dreadful spell that has seen them fail to win a league game since the opening day of the season.

* The Republic of Korea's Samsung has extended its sponsorship contract with the International Olympic Committee by eight years and will remain a top sponsor until the 2028 Los Angeles Games, the world governing body said on Tuesday. No financial details of the deal were released but media reports have said the IOC has been seeking around US$50 million per year for similar deals.

* South African Football Association on Tuesday said they have given the national female soccer team over US$172,500 for qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup.

* English champions Manchester City are the biggest beneficiaries from the US$209 million handed out by FIFA to clubs who released players for the 2018 World Cup, the global soccer body said on Tuesday. City will receive US$5 million, ahead of Real Madrid (US$4.81 million), Tottenham Hotspur (US$4.38 million), Barcelona (US$4.14 million) and Paris St Germain (US$3.89 million), FIFA said.

Reuters, Xinhua