I don’t know enough about skateboarding (or swimming) to have an easy time with today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle. Maybe you know more. If you’re struggling with the puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group hint: Ouch!

Green group hint: Paging Tony Hawk.

Blue group hint: Go for the gold.

Purple group hint: Teams will tank to pick higher in this.

Read more: We Need to Talk About Wednesday’s Doggone Connections Puzzle

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Nail a batter with a pitch.

Green group: Skateboarding tricks.

Blue group: Swimmers with 10+ Olympic medals.

Purple group: Draft ____.

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is nail a batter with a pitch.

The four answers are bean, drill, hit and plunk.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is skateboarding tricks.

The four answers are 900, heelflip, manual and McTwist.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is swimmers with 10+ Olympic medals.

The four answers are Dressel, Ledecky, Phelps and Thompson.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is draft ____.

The four answers are class, lottery, order and picks.

Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing.

#1: Serie A Clubs. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.

CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of “Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the ’70s and ’80s,” as well as “The Totally Sweet ’90s.” She’s been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She’s Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she’ll be first in line.

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