TEN FOR 2010: Zoe Gillings and her Olympic ambition

By Holly Hamilton, Sportsbeat

ZOE Gillings is aiming to make history in 2010 by becoming the first Brit to claim an Olympic medal in snowboardcross.

HOPEFUL: Snowboarder Zoe Gillings, who competes in the thrills and spills boarder cross discipline, is currently ranked fifth in the world

Although the thrills and spills event has only been in the Olympics since 2006, considering there are certainly no world-class snow resorts on the Isle of Man, where the 24-year-old grew up, it would be no mean feat.

And the fact that Snowsport GB had no money over the summer to send their athletes abroad to train and experience the real white fluffy stuff only adds to her challenge.

Despite these obstacles Gillings is now world number five in her sport and has been reaching World Cup podiums for the past five years.

As a result she has been awarded the British Olympic Association's Athlete of the Year for snowsports for the past two seasons.

Her success means she was better placed than most British skiers and snowboarders when the funding dried up over the summer, as she could rely on support from her existing sponsors.

The Manx snowboarder knows she plies her trade in an unpredictable sport but is quietly confident about her chances in Vancouver.

Even after being pushed down into tenth in the opening FIS World Cup event in Argentina in October, thanks to world number one Lindsey Jacobellis inconveniently falling in front of her.

Gillings - who just missed out on the quarter-finals in Colorado last week - will be heading out to Calgary for the British holding camp in the New Year and knows she needs to peak at exactly the right time.

But she has suffered with a spate of untimely injuries, including a career-threatening break in 2005, where she shattered most of the bones in her left foot.

More recently she has had problems with a heel injury but insists that will be completely ‘healed up' - if you pardon the pun - when it matters.

Gillings readily admits it is impossible to predict who will end up capturing the medals in Canada but don't rule out a Brit on the podium.