THE SIDELINES : Carole Merle Wins Super G Title

ARE, Sweden —  Carole Merle of France won the women’s last Super G to take the season title in the event, and Petra Kronberger of Austria virtually clinched the overall crown by finishing third.

Merle clocked 55.17 seconds today, edging Michaela Gerg of West Germany by .9 seconds. It was the fifth straight World Cup victory for Merle, who almost decided to quit the season in late January after a five-month injury break.

Kronberger, who finished .44 behind Merle, netted 15 points and increased her total to 341 with only two races left of the series. The 21-year-old Kronberger, who had not won a World Cup race before this season, is almost certain to become Austria’s first women’s overall champion since Annemarie Moser-Proell in 1979.