HAFJELL, Norway - Sweden's Anja Paerson clinched the women's World Cup giant slalom title Sunday, edging Karen Putzer of Italy by just one point in the final standings. Paerson finished fifth in the last GS of the season on Lillehammer's Olympic course, and it was enough to give her the championship by the smallest of margins.

Putzer Kostelic and Paerson

The 21-year-old from Tarnaby, a small village near the Arctic Circle and the birthplace of legend Ingemar Stenmark, became the first Swedish woman to capture the GS title.

Her streak of four consecutive GS wins — three in the World Cup and one in the World Championships last month at St. Moritz, Switzerland — ended in the little town where she went at age 13 to root for fellow Swede Pernilla Wiberg, who won the combined at the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Putzer won the race after two consistent runs in a combined time of 2 minutes, 27.55 seconds. She was fastest in the morning run and second fastest in the windup run.

Fellow Italian Denise Karbon was a distant runner-up, 1.03 behind. Nicole Hosp of Austria placed third, 1.33 back.

Paerson, the Olympic GS champion last year in Salt Lake City, was 1.77 off Putzer's pace. Germany's Martina Ertl placed fourth, 1.40 behind.

Paerson topped the final GS standings with 514 points. Putzer had 513 and third-placed Janica Kostelic of Croatia had 343 points.

Kostelic won the overall title and also finished first in the slalom standings. 

 Janica Kostelic

 Janica Kostelic

By STEPHAN NASSTROM, AP Sports Writer , 16.03.2003