Merritt is 2nd fastest

Raleigh (North Carolina): American LaShawn Merritt became the second fastest indoor 400 metres runner of all time while Kenyan Bernard Lagat ran the third quickest mile in history at the Fayetteville Invitational meeting in Arkansas on Friday.

World junior champion Merritt, 18, stunned the crowd by clocking a time of 44.93 seconds. Only Michael Johnson has run faster, setting the world record of 44.63 in 1995 and running 44.66 the following year.

Merritt finished more than 7/10ths of a second ahead of compatriot Bershawn Jackson.

Olympic silver medallist Lagat, aiming for a world record, clocked 3:49.89, behind only Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj?s 1997 world indoor mile record of 3:48.45 and former world record holder Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland (3:49.78).

Merritt, a first-year student at East Carolina University, was timed at a blazing 21.04 seconds for the first 200 metres. His previous best effort in the event was 45.25, set outdoors.

Woods return next week

Toronto: Tiger Woods will be back in action at next week?s $4.8 million Nissan Open in Pacific Palisades, California, the Golf Channel reported on Friday.

The event will be the first for the former world No. 1 since he triumphed at the Buick Invitational last month, his first strokeplay title in the US since the WGC-American Express Championship in October 2003.

Woods, who took time off following his Buick triumph to recover from the flu, has played the Nissan nine times but has never won at the Riviera Country Club. He was runner-up in 1998 and 1999.

Canada?s Mike Weir won the title in 2003 and 2004.

Mido let-off likely

London: Egypt?s FA are ready to forgive Tottenham Hotspur striker Mido if he apologises for the lack of discipline that has seen him excluded from the national team since July. ?We?ve no objections providing he apologises to the people of Egypt and the association,? Essam Abdel-Moneim, the Egyptian FA?s chairman, told Friday?s London Evening Standard.

Mido, 21, was axed by Egypt?s former coach Marco Tardelli after claiming he had a groin injury, but he then played in a friendly for his club AS Roma within 24 hours of a World Cup qualifying match at home to Cameroon last September.

A Tottenham spokesman confirmed that Mido, who has 34 caps, is returning to Cairo this weekend.Egypt FA spokesman Medhat Shalaby said: ?Mido will meet with the FA president and will hold a news conference on Sunday.

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