Alpine Skiing: Five women to watch in 2009/10

By Gerard Meagher and George Scott, Sportsbeat

THE clock is already well and truly ticking to the Vancouver 2010 WInter Olympics, and on Saturday, the women kick off their season in Solden, Austria.

Defending overall champion Lindsey Vonn will be the one to beat but is this the year Britain's Chemmy Alcott finally comes to the party? 

Lindsey Vonn

VONN TO WATCH: Lindsey Vonn is the woman to watch on the women's circuit this season (Getty Images)

LINDSEY Vonn firmly established herself as the world's number one last year with nine race victories, two World Championship gold medals and three overall World Cup titles.

The 25-year-old also surpassed Tamara McKinney's American World Cup victories of 18 in February and ended the season on 22.

And arguably only a mishap with a champagne bottle prevented her from adding to the two world golds she won in March in Val d'Isere.

But Olympic gold, or even an Olympic medal for that matter still eludes the Minnesota maiden - something she will be desperate to put right in Vancouver.

At the Torino Winter Olympics in 2006, she crashed while training for the downhill race and had to be evacuated to hospital, but despite a bruised hip she returned the following day to compete and finished eighth.

While more than competitive in all disciplines, it is in the downhill where Vonn is queen and she'll be odds on favourite to top the Olympic podium in February.

If Usain Bolt is the fastest man on two legs, then ‘Vonnder Woman' is without doubt the fastest female on two planks. 

Chemmy Alcott

BEST OF BRITISH: Chemmy Alcott is desperate to finally make the step up and contend with the world's elite in 2010 (Getty Images)

THE blonde bombshell has been threatening to deliver on a bucketload of potential ever since bursting onto the scene as a junior, claiming European Youth Olympic silver in 1999.

She breezed through the ranks made her Olympic appearance as a 19-year-old and chalked up an impressive 14th place in the combined event, prompting many to speculate that Great Britain's first Olympic skiing medal was just around the corner.

But the final step has proved the hardest for Alcott and at 27, she is still yet to achieve a top ten finish in a major competition or reach the World Cup podium.

At the 2006 Olympics, she achieved a top finish of 11th in the downhill but at the start of last year, but a broken ankle ruined a promising start to the season, having won the second run of the giant slalom in Solden.

But never short on confidence, Alcott has set her sights firmly on toppling Lindsey Vonn and finally delivering in Vancouver.

Modelling contracts have sparked criticism that Alcott is more concerned with the camera than the slopes, but Britain's best has fire in her belly this year and could upset the odds should she stay injury free.

Anja Paerson

SUPER SWEDE: Anja Paerson will fly the Swedish flag in 2009/2010 (Getty Images)

IT'S fair to say Anja Paerson is a talented all-rounder - she has seven World Championship titles to her name and became the first skier to win gold in all five disciplines - slalom, giant slalom, Super-G, downhill and combined. 

The 28-year-old also has five Olympic medals in her ever-bulging trophy cabinet - including three from the 2006 Games in Turin.

Paerson captured slalom gold and downhill and combined bronze in Italy to add to the slalom silver and giant slalom bronze she won in Salt Lake City four years earlier.

She won her first World Cup race, slalom in Mammoth Mountain, California, as a 17-year-old and first topped the podium in St. Anton, Austria in 2001.

Consistency is the name of Parson's game and she topped the overall World Cup standings in both 2004 and 2005.

The Swedish star now has 40 individual World Cup victories to her name as well as five end-of-season discipline titles - her latest success in the combined earlier this year.

Tanja Poutiainen

FEISTY FINN: Tanja Poutiainen will battle it out with Anja Paerson for Sacndinavian bragging rights (Getty Images)

WITH two World Championship and one Olympic silver to her name, you could say Tanja Poutiainen is always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

The slalom specialist stood on the second step twice at the 2005 World Championships in Bormio, Italy before finishing behind American Julia Mancuso in the giant slalom at the Turin Olympics less than a year later.

That's not to say she's without a major coup to her name, having captured the end-of-season World Cup titles in slalom and giant slalom in 2005.

Poutiainen won her first World Cup race in February 2004 and went on to claim another five over the next 11 months.

The Finnish skier then went more than two years without another victory leaving fans wondering whether they'd seen the best Poutiainen has to offer.

But the 29-year-old bounced back with a bang in 2009, claiming the giant slalom World Cup title.

We know Poutiainen has the pedigree to be in the mix - but can she maintain that consistency to battle it out for the medals this campaign?

Maria Riesch

SPORTING STAR: Maria Riesch is best friends with Lindsey Vonn and one of her biggest rivals on the circuit

MARIA Riesch is arguably the woman best placed to challenge Lindsey Vonn - and ironically the American's best friend on the circuit.

Riesch blitzed her way through the junior ranks, took her time to find her feet in the seniors but has more than made up for that over the last two years.

She has chalked up seven World Cup wins since last January and with the crowning glory coming at the World Championships in March as she scooped slalom gold.

Vancouver will be Riesch's first Olympic appearance but the stage will be set for the German to add to her major championship medal tally.

And even if that fails, she could still carve out a career on either the tennis court or the cycling track as she is nationally-ranked tennis player and a promising cyclist.

She's also the giant on the circuit at just a shade under 6ft and she could well be walking tall next February.