Dutch champion Dylan Groenewegen won the sixth stage of the Tour de France after a mass sprint that was decided in a photo finish on Thursday.

Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey after a nervous day on the bike amid crosswinds.

Groenewegen earned a sixth career stage victory at cycling’s biggest race ahead of Biniam Girmay, the Stage 3 winner, and Fernando Gaviria, the Stage 3 runner-up. Jasper Philipsen was initially the runner-up for a second straight stage but was relegated for an irregular sprint.

“I actually don’t know what happened but I was first,” Groenewegen said.

There was no change among the overall leaders, with Pogacar staying 45 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel. Two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard remained in third place, 50 seconds off the pace.

After Matthieu Van der Poel opened the sprint in the city of Dijon with an excellent lead-out for his teammate Philipsen, Groenewegen timed his effort perfectly and used his great power to prevail by just a few inches.

NWSL

Ellis: Wave workplace allegations ‘false’

San Diego Wave President Jill Ellis called allegations of a poor work environment made by a former employee of the National Women’s Soccer League team both “false” and “personally damaging.”

Ellis released a statement to the Associated Press in response to a social media post by Brittany Alvarado, a former video and creative manager for the team. Alvarado called on the NWSL to remove Ellis, the former U.S. national coach.

Alvarado alleged the workplace was discriminatory and said it took a toll on her mental health in a lengthy post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Ellis said mental health concerns are a priority for the club and it has support measures, including an employee assistance program. She added that when allegations of mistreatment have occurred, the team has investigated.

The Wave said it was looking into possible legal avenues available to address the matter.

NBA

Hield is traded to the Warriors from the 76ers

Buddy Hield played in 632 regular-season games and established himself as one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA before he finally played a postseason game. He can thank the Philadelphia 76ers for ending his dubious distinction of most NBA games without a playoff appearance by an active player.

The 76ers continued one of the busiest offseasons of any team in the league and orchestrated a sign-and-trade deal that sends Hield to the Golden State Warriors for a 2031 second-round pick it received from the Dallas Mavericks, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press.

OLYMPICS

Wembanyama gives France 24 points

Victor Wembanyama stole the show with spectacular one-handed dunks as France opened preparations for its men’s basketball gold medal bid at the Paris Olympics.

The NBA’s Rookie of the Year was all smiles after powerful dunks with both hands in a 96-46 rout of Turkey on Wednesday night. He looked slick as he scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed six rebounds in front of a sold-out crowd of around 5,500 in Rouen.

“Victor played a ‘Wemby game.’ He was imposing in defense and varied things in attack. It’s something we’ve never really known before in the France team,” captain Nicolas Batum said.

The 20-year-old San Antonio Spurs star also combined well with veteran Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in their first outing together for France. The 32-year-old Gobert was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for a record-tying fourth time, with Wembanyama second in the voting.

“There’s still work to be done,” Batum said, looking ahead to the Olympics. “But when you have two greats (Wembanyama and Gobert), it helps a lot.”

Doncic, Slovenia head to qualifying semis

Luka Doncic and Slovenia still have Olympic hopes. And so does the Philippines, much to its own surprise.

Doncic had 36 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Slovenia beat New Zealand 104-78 on Thursday to clinch a semifinal spot in the Olympic qualifying tournament at Piraeus, Greece. Slovenia needed to win by at least 10 points to make the semifinals.

Slovenia’s opponent on Saturday is Greece, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final with a berth in the Paris Olympics at stake, and the loser eliminated.

NFL

Rams re-sign Johnson after successful return

Veteran safety John Johnson has re-signed with the Los Angeles Rams after his successful return to the team last season.

Johnson spent his first four NFL seasons with the Rams as a starting safety. After making the decisive overtime interception in a victory over New Orleans in the NFC championship game, he made six tackles in Los Angeles’ Super Bowl loss to New England in February 2019.

Johnson began last season as a reserve, but eventually resumed his starting job. He had two interceptions and 42 tackles while taking a leadership role in the Rams’ young defense.

College basketball

Bueckers tops women’s NIL earnings list

On top of her ever-growing list of on-court accolades, UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers was named the top-earning female athlete on the NIL Store platform across all sports for the 2023-24 academic year.

Women’s basketball players made up all four finalists for top-earning female athlete, with Bueckers beating out former UConn teammate Nika Muhl, former LSU star Angel Reese and Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall.

Briefly

NHL >> Carolina Hurricanes continued to restock in free agency Thursday by signing forward Jack Roslovic to a one-year contract worth $2.8 million.

NHL >> The San Jose Sharks signed two recently-aquired RFA forwards, Carl Grundstrom and Ty Dellandrea, to two-year contracts.

— From news services