Pretenders to Maier's crown

Norway's Kjus won the title in 1996 and 1999

With overall World Cup champion Hermann Maier out of action, BBC Sport Online's Anna Thompson looks at who could steal his ski crown.

Although loved by ski fans, Hermann Maier is not a favourite among his peers.

Unlike most of the Austrian ski team, Maier did not come through the ranks in orthodox fashion.

Instead he practiced on his own and stunned competitors at the Austrian national championships in the mid-nineties when he came from nowhere to blitz the field.

He won his first World Cup race in 1997 and has dominated the sport since then.

He won gold medals in the giant slalom and super-G at the Nagano Olympics and has three overall World Cup titles to his name, from 1998, 2000 and last season.

It could be Eberharter's last chance

His racing rivals have been irritated by his dominance - and self aggrandisement - but now is there chance for them to shine.

With Maier recovering from a serious motorcycle accident, he will not be fit to defend his title.

So who is likely to succeed Maier?

Norway's Lasse Kjus has won the overall title twice before, in 1996 and 1999.

The 31-year-old finished last season in third place, behind Maier and Austrian Stephan Eberharter.

Kjus won the combined discipline, and finished 5th in the downhill, eighth in giant slalom and super-G and 23rd in slalom.

He is also an Olympic champion, having won gold in the downhill at the 1984 Winter Games in Lillehammer.

Raich is only 23-years-old

Kjus missed most of the 2000 season with illness but if he can stay fit and well, he could win his third overall title.

Austrian Stephan Eberharter was in fine form last season but he could not overhaul Maier at the top of the standings.

Eberharter, 32, was second in the downhill, fourth in the super-G and 21st in the giant slalom last season.

His best showing in the World Championships was a decade ago when he won gold in the super-G, slalom and combined disciplines.

His age may be against him, but with his main Austrian rival out of the picture, Eberharter has a serious chance of winning the title.

A young pretender to the crown could be Benjamin Raich.

Raich, 23, is already a World Cup titleholder in the slalom discipline.

The part-time soldier won the slalom title last season and finished fourth in the giant slalom. He also won the silver medal at the World Ski Championships, held at St Anton in Austria in February.

His points tally meant he was fourth overall in the World Cup standings - a great achievement for someone so young.

Raich is Austria's brightest prospect and he has the attributes to become the overall World Cup champion.