Paris, July 11 (QNA) - Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier achieved his second consecutive triumph after imposing his dominance on the sprint finish of Stage 8 of the Tour de France on Saturday, with defending champion Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retaining the yellow jersey awarded to the overall race leader.

Merlier was out of contention for part of the final stage after losing his position at the front of the group, but he launched a powerful sprint from a long distance, overtaking all his rivals to cross the finish line first ahead of Eritrean Biniam Girmay, while Dutch rider Olav Kooij finished third.

With the victory, Merlier raised his tally to five stage wins in his third Tour de France appearance, while also cutting the gap to just 15 points behind Denmark's Mads Pedersen, the leader of the green jersey standings awarded to the best sprinter.

Stage 8, held in the Dordogne region known for its thousand castles and ancient cave paintings, had been expected from the outset to be decided by the final sprint. (QNA)