Table Tennis tourney

KATHMANDU: Ideal Model School is organising the fourth Valley-wide Inter-school Table Tennis Tournament from June 21-24. About 700 players from 50 schools are expected to take part in the tournament. The tournament feature 11 different events in boys and girls sections. — HNS

Gatlin record okayed

Monte Carlo: Justin Gatlin’s record-equaling time for the 100 meters was ractified on Friday by the sport’s world governing body. The American sprinter was originally credited with breaking the world record in 9.76 seconds at the Qatar Grand Prix on May 12, but the time was later rounded up to 9.77 — matching the mark set by Jamaica’s Asafa Powell in June 2005 in Athens, Greece. After a review, Gatlin’s time has now been officially approved by the International Association of Athletics Federations. — AP

Serena hopeful

MASON: Serena Williams hopes to return from a knee injury next month at the Cincinnati Women’s Open, her first tournament since the Australian Open. Williams already has withdrawn from Wimbledon, which she won in 2002 and 2003, because of her chronically sore left knee. She has played only four matches in the last nine months. “Lately I have been working very hard on making my knee stronger, and that work is progressing well,” she said. The WTA Tour event starts on July 17. — AP

Inter-school football

LALITPUR: Bikram Adhikari struck five goals as Pragati Sikchya Sadan annihilated High View School 9-0 in the Coca Cola Inter-school Football Tournament on Friday. Adhikari opened the scoring spree in the fourth minute and went on to add other three in te 15, 55, 58 and 65 minutes. Niraj Rana Magar scored two while Shyam Thapa and Nabin KC added one each. In the other match, Siddhartha Children Academy beat Public English School 2-1. Bikram Karki and Birendra Pun sco-red one each for Siddhartha. Mahendra Adarsha School beat Tops English School 4-3 in tie-breaker while Yuva Prativa Vidya Mandir blanked Purna English School 5-0. — HNS