Carole MERLE

Through 2013 Carole Merle is the French female skiier with the most victories and podiums at the World Cup, winning 22 races (12 super-Gs and 10 giant slaloms) and standing atop the podium 44 times between 1987 and 1994. A four-time Olympian (1984, 1988, 1992, 1994), Merle won one Olympic medal, a silver in the 1992 super-G at Albertville. She came through for three medals at the World Championships, highlighted by a gold in giant slalom in 1993, with two silvers, giant slalom in 1989 at Vail, Colorado and super-G in 1991 at Saalbach, Austria. In the seasonal World Cup competition, Merle was a six-time champion, winning the super-G consecutively from 1989-92 and the giant slalom in 1992 and 1993. She was runner-up in the overall World Cup in the 1991-92 season. That was likely her best season, winning her Olympic medal and seven races on the World Cup circuit, three in super-G and four in giant slalom, although in 1990 she also won five World Cup races. After her career ended, Merle went into business, but suffered some financial difficulties which became public.