Alpine Skiing

WHISTLER - American skier Lindsey Vonn is finding it hard to contain her excitement after putting the finishing touches to what could be a multiple gold bid at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

But while fans the world over expect the 25-year-old star to deliver, some rivals, including close friend Maria Riesch of Germany, appear confident of snatching a share of the silverware.

Riesch broke Vonn's five-race winning streak in alpine's blue riband event of the downhill last month, and the world slalom champion is no slouch in the super-G either.

Asked if she has ambitions to medal in several of the women's events here, Riesch was mildly optimistic.

"It would be a dream come true, but I've got to be realistic," said the German, who missed out on the Turin Games after tearing cruciate ligaments in her knee.

"It's my goal to win a medal, preferably gold. If I succeed, I'd be absolutely delighted. Anything can happen in each of the disciplines."

Four years after the heartbreak of Turin where a training run injury compromised her own medal chances, Vonn now appears set for Olympic stardom.

All season she has left the likes of Riesch picking up the crumbs as she skis confidently towards a third consecutive overall World Cup title, winning five downhills, four super-Gs and a super-combined in the process.

The super-combined, downhill and super-G are all held within six days in Vancouver beginning February 14 and Vonn, both mentally and physically, could not be in a better place.

A cleansweep of three victories in one weekend in January has boosted her belief that she can perform under pressure, and she comes in with the added bonus of having won the World Cup super-G title.

"It's just good to know I can ski under pressure, and it just gives me more and more confidence going into Vancouver," Vonn said after her cleansweep in January.

In the super-combined on February 14 Vonn's speed event skills should give her the kind of cushion she needs for the second leg slalom, not her strongest event.

Three days later she will bid to succeed retired downill defending champion Michaela Dorfmeister. The Austrian also won the super-G in Turin, and Vonn will start that race as favourite on February 20.

From there, things get more complicated for the American, who is less at ease in the technical events.

Germany's Kathrin Hoelzl is the current World Cup giant slalom leader but she is likely to be pushed all the way by Kathrin Zettel, currently third in the World Cup race.

Riesch currently leads the women's World Cup slalom competition and will likely battle Austria's Marlies Schild and Frenchwoman Sandrine Aubert for the Olympic title.

However Riesch, who has excelled on the Whistler run in the past, has a "good feeling" about her chances here. She could realistically medal in the super-combined, downhill, super-G and slalom.

Having said earlier this season that Vonn is practically unbeatable in the downhill, Riesch appears to have changed her tune a little.

"Whistler is a very nice course. I can't say exactly why, but I just have a good feeling about this course," she added.

"I'm feeling good, I've got rid of the jetlag and spent a lot of time training on the course, so it won't be such a shock to the system for me."