Irish rider wins Tour stage
Daniel Martin of Ireland won an uphill finish to claim Stage 6 of the Tour de France on Thursday, while Greg Van Avermaet kept the yellow jersey for a third consecutive day.
Defending champion Chris Froome crossed eight seconds after Martin in 18th. That left the Sky leader 1 minute 2 seconds off Van Avermaet’s overall lead.
Martin broke away at the midway point of the straight 2-kilometer ascent of the Mur de Bretagne, winning the 112-mile leg that started in the western port city of Brest in over four hours.
OLYMPICS
The U.S. Olympic Committee hired Sarah Hirshland as its CEO on Thursday, placing the executive from the U.S. Golf Association in charge of stabilizing an organization hammered by sex-abuse scandals spanning several Olympic sports.
Hirshland, 43, will leave her post as the chief commercial officer for the USGA, where she negotiated media-rights and sponsorship deals.
Scott Blackmun was essentially forced out of the position after the USOC came under fire from victims of Larry Nassar and others for not doing all it could to protect athletes who had been sexually abused.
AUTO RACING
Ben Rhodes raced to his second career NASCAR Truck Series win by taking the checkered flag in the Buckle Up in Your Truck 200 in Sparta, Ky.
Rhodes opted not to change his tires on the final pit and the gamble paid off as he took the lead out of pit road and then steadily pulled away from Stewart Friesen over the final 10 laps.
Series leader Johnny Sauter of Necedah finished 15th. He has a 42-point lead over Noah Gragson.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Darryl Rogers, who coached Michigan State to a share of the Big Ten title in 1978 and later took the helm for the Detroit Lions, has died. He was 83.
Rogers coached Michigan State from 1976-’79, going 24-18-2. The 1978 team, which included star flanker Kirk Gibson, won its final seven games to finish tied for first in the conference.
Rogers also coached at Arizona State from 1980’84 before heading to the NFL. He was with the Lions from 1985-’88.
UW to face Georgia Southern: Wisconsin has added Georgia Southern to its 2023 non-conference football schedule, marking the first time the teams will meet.
Georgia Southern officials announced that the Eagles in 2023 will face UW on Sept. 16 at Camp Randall Stadium.
HOCKEY
Greg Rallo has been hired as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Admirals.
Rallo will join Scott Ford as assistants under new coach Karl Taylor.
The 36-year-old native of Gurnee, Ill., recently completed a 12-year professional playing career that included stops in the NHL, AHL, ECHL and the German professional league. He spent last season with the AHL’s Texas Stars — where Taylor was an assistant coach — and tallied 11 points in 29 games.