TEN FOR 2010: Rebecca Adlington

By Gerard Meagher, Sportsbeat

REBECCA Adlington, more than most, will be counting down the days until the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve - 2009 has been a year to forget for the double Olympic champion.

ROOM TO IMPROVE: Rebecca Adlington finished third in the 400m freestyle at the World Championships, behind Italy's Federica Pellegrini and British team-mate Jo Jackson (Getty Images)

Placed under the glaring media spotlight after become the first British swimmer to claim multiple Olympic golds in a century, the 20-year-old came unstuck.

She was defiant at the British Championships in March after being beaten by friend and rival Jo Jackson in the 400m freestyle - after all she had just clocked the second fastest time in history.

But the cracks were beginning to appear. Accusations of swapping the goggles for high heels too often seemed to cut Adlington deep and this summer's World Championships ended in tears.

The golden girl of British swimming could only muster two bronze medals, Jackson had superseded her as GB's best female swimmer and Adlington tearily admitted the pressure had got to her.

But as we enter a new decade there is renewed optimism emanating from the Nova Centurion swimmer.

It's easy to forget that Adlington is still just 20 and as a result the Olympics is the only major international long course championship where she has topped the podium.

There are no World Championships and no Olympic Games in 2010 and so Adlington should be able to quietly go about her business of plotting a double defence of her Beijing titles in London.

After all she has recently been boosted by the news the 800m freestyle will remain on the Olympic schedule in London.

And, unlike many of Great Britain's high profile Olympic athletes, Adlington has set her sights firmly on the Commonwealth Games.

Not a bad ploy considering there will be no Americans in sight but a successful trip to Delhi could be just what Adlington needs to re-establish herself as one of the world's premier swimmers.

So while, by her admission, last Christmas was one of over-indulgence, expect Adlington to putting in the hard yards this time around.