Alcott makes history

The 21-year-old Alcott, from Hove on Britain's south coast, charged into 22nd position in the first leg of the season-opening World Cup race on the glacier at Sölden from a 50th starting position.

That was already a record as no British woman had ever qualified for a second giant slalom leg. Only the top 30 times qualify.

In the second leg, Alcott held her nerve down the trickiest course on the circuit, which has the highest start hut at 3,050 metres, to end in 25th position -- two above 2002 Sölden champion Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria.

"I dreamt of this last night, that I'd score my first points in giant slalom," Alcott told Reuters after the race.

"The first run was really good. The course is pretty tough and there's really bad ice in parts," she said. "But the second run I think psychologically I took it too easy."

The race was ultimately won by German Martina Ertl in a time 4.68 seconds faster than the Briton's.

Alcott appears to excel on Austrian snow. She scored her first World Cup points two seasons ago with an 18th position in a combined, where times from a downhill are added to a slalom, and followed that up with 27th place in a super-G at Innsbruck.

"This one is the most important to me though, because it's the first race of the season. I knew I was going to do well," she said.

The women's World Cup now takes a break until the North American stage of the circuit begins in Park City, Utah, on November 28.

Alcott is being primed as an all-rounder and intends to compete in each of the sport's five disciplines of downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and combined.