Teen sensation Valentino Guseli has finished the snowboard season on a high, capturing a bronze medal at the World Cup slopestyle final in Silvaplana, Switizerland.
 
The medal is Guseli’s second of the season in slopestyle and shows what an amazing talent the 16-year-old is after placing sixth in the halfpipe discipline at the Beijing Olympic Games in February.
 
It was almost a double podium for Australia, with Olympic bronze medallist Tess Coady just missing the podium in fourth place.
 
Guseli was one of the most consistent riders in the final, scoring 83.40 points on his first run, and then increased his score in the second run with 89.40 points to finish in third place. The top two spots on the podium went to Norway, with Marcus Kleveland taking the victory with his teammate Mons Roisland in second.
 
“My goal was to just land my runs and I knew that if I did that, I would be happy” said Guseli who hails from Dalmeny on the NSW south coast.
 
“I put all my mental and physical power into my first run just to make sure that I ended up on my feet at the end. Once I got my first run down, I knew that the only way I could go was up.
 
“On the next run I just went for it with some of the biggest tricks that I can do. I was super stoked to get to the bottom of that second run and was very happy to get third.
 
“That was the most heated slope style final that I’ve ever been in. As much as the boys were definitely throwing down it was a very upbeat and very positive vibe up there for sure.
 
“It’s been such a blast getting back into slopestyle, I have been doing it since I was young and to be back doing it again after just doing pipe for the start of this season has been very enjoyable.”
 
Guseli finished the FIS World Cup season ranked fourth overall on the slopestyle standings.

Teen snowboard sensation Valentino Guseli has finished in 16th place at the slopestyle World Cup in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic.

The 2022 Olympic Halfpipe finalist was drawn in heat one for slopestyle qualifying in Splindleruv Mlyn, and put down an impressive first run to score 85.33 points to advance to the final in third place.

Unfortunately in the final Guseli was unable to complete his two runs, and finished in 16th place overall.

Also in action for Australia was Jesse Parkinson in 26th.

The final World Cup slopestyle event of the season will take place in Silvaplana, Switzerland, next weekend on March 25-27.

Joining Guseli on the entry list for Silvaplana will be Tess Coady and Matt Cox, who will both return to competition for the first time since the Beijing Olympics, with Melia Stalker to make her World Cup debut, and Parkinson first reserve in the men's event.

Beijing 2022 bronze medallist Tess Coady has wrapped up her Olympic campaign with a top-10 finish in the women's snowboard big air.

After claiming Australia's first medal of the 2022 Olympic Games, Tess capped off her Games finishing ninth in the final.

"Really sick today, the jump is riding so good," Tess said.

"[The] weather is really good and we didn't have much of a head wind.

"Just from the practice this morning we understood it was going to be on, and everyone rode so well. It was really cool to be a part of.

"The big air [jump] was sick, everyone threw down... everyone rode super hard.

"On this stage, people just want to go for it. It's the pinnacle for us and everyone just rode really well and it was such a great competition.

"I didn't land my tricks but it was so good to see some really great riders land and end up on the podium."

She has thoroughly enjoyed her Olympic experience and doesn't go home empty handed.

"It's been unbelievable, I had such a good time.

"Coming here has been definitely challenging. I put all my energy into slopestyle because it was pretty much what I was here for.

"But I'm just so stoked to have made the finals [in big air] and just tried to make something I've never tried before and that was just really fun.

"It's definitely been a crazy road to get here, especially the last couple of years with COVID-19. But I'm so stoked to be here and the IOC has done an incredible job with COVID-19 [countermeasures] to make the Games so enjoyable and it's been a really great experience.

"Although I'm definitely looking forward to going home and see my family and friends."

Lauren Ryan

The wizard from Warrandyte Scotty James has won a well-deserved silver medal at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, alongside Olympic debutant Valentino Guseli finishing 6th.

In arguably the most anticipated event of the Games, Australia's dominance in the halfpipe was on display with the best snowboard talent from around the globe, including from five-time Olympian Shaun White from the USA.

A special anticipation and excitement was in the air early at the Genting Snow Park halfpipe, in the athlete Villages and all the way back in Australia – particularly in Scotty's hometown of Warrandyte and Valentino's home Dalmeny, or ‘Valmeny'.

Clear blue skies, no wind and a brisk –12C made for perfect competition conditions and a picturesque setting for what would be one of the biggest and most exciting halfpipe finals in Olympic history.

Scotty was thrilled to win a silver medal for Australia with a score of 92.50, with Japan's Ayumu Hirano only better with a 96.00 to take the gold.

"I feel amazing. If you had of said to me a long time ago that I would be a two-time Olympic medallist I would have said that you were dreaming." Scotty said.

"I'm honestly just really proud. It's a proud moment and obviously so much work goes into this. Ayumu (Hirano) is an amazing competitor to me and we have some really good rivals, I knew I had to deliver my best and I gave it my best shot in the end there and unfortunately came unstuck.

"I was really happy and proud with my second run. It's the most technical run I've ever done in my life and that was my vision today. I was super happy that it put me on the podium."

Rocking his trademark red gloves and wide grin, Scotty James was the second last athlete to take his first run after qualifying second for the finals.

It was a nail-biting battle for podium places among the top four competitors. Both Scotty James and Ayumu Hirano fell on their first runs to only score 16.50 and 33.75 respectively.

While challengers Jan Scherrer (70.59) from Switzerland and the greatest of all-time Shaun White earned a 72.00.

In the last competition of his illustrious career, the pressure was on Shaun White to produce a huge performance in his second run, which he turned into an 85.00 - his best run of the day to place 4th.

Scotty James' best run also came on his second attempt, with the wizard of Warrandyte taking the competition up a notch and smashing a stunning run and earning a 92.50 from the judges. It was a routine that could only be described as epic, starting with a switchback double cork 1260, followed by a front-nine tail grab, a backside 12 and finishing with a frontside 1440 tail grab that had spectators on their feet.

When asked about his medal-winning run Scotty James was still comprehending what he'd done.

"That combination has never been done before so I was really happy and thrilled to put that down.

"It's always funny doing interviews so quickly after because you don't get much time to process. So I think I'm just proud of what we did, proud of my team, proud of being out here representing Australia and that's all we can do."

On the very last run of the day, Hirano took out the gold medal.

The silver medal was well deserved for Scotty after a challenging few years for his camp, having to relocate to Switzerland to train as the pandemic made it difficult to attend competitions.

For Valentino Guseli, known for his big air and surprising skill, had three clean runs in the final. He earned a strong score of 75.75 in his first run to immediately jump into second place.

His consistency and strong performances resulted in a score of 79.75 from each of his second and third runs.

Valentino loved being on the Olympic stage in such a big occasion and sees himself having a long future in the sport.

"It was awesome to ride with all the homies. I think today was one of the biggest showings of competitive snowboarding ever. So it was awesome to be apart of it and super happy to have landed my runs," Valentino said.

"I had a really bad practice this morning, so I was just super happy to put my runs down. After I got through my first run [in the final] I started gaining a little bit of momentum and I guess it just led into the third run.

He was just as impressed as anyone about the performance Scotty James delivered.

"Scotty absolutely killed it. I'm super happy for him, he bettered his result and I'm sure he's going to continue to kill it around the world in all the other comps. He's the man."

With the pressure now off and Scotty looking forward to a medal ceremony in Beijing, he's already been thinking about what the future holds for him. Much to the delight of Australia, this won't be the last time we see the snowboarding sensation.

"Well I've got the bronze [from PyeongChang 2018], I've got the silver now... so there is only one left to get," Scotty said.

"So that's the plan."

olympics.com.au
Shannon Knaus

Four-time Olympian Scotty James has qualified in second position for Friday's final of the men's halfpipe competition at the Genting Snow Park and, in great news for the Australian Team, he'll be joined by 16-year-old debutant Valentino Guseli in the final.

Scotty put down scores of 88.25 and 91.25 to breeze into the final where he will be looking to add to the bronze medal he won four years ago.

Ayumu Hirano of Japan was the leading qualifier with a score of 93.25. American superstar Shaun White, competing in his final Olympic campaign, was the fourth best qualifier scoring 86.25.

"It's a beautiful day and I'm really happy with how that all went," Scotty said.

"The best bit was we stuck to our plan and when you do that you are happy with the result.

"My last trick was a frontside 1440 with a tail grab. I'm really happy to [have] put it all together."

Despite reaching the podium four years ago, Scotty isn't putting any pressure on himself ahead of the final on Friday.

"For me, I'd be happy on Friday to come out and execute exactly what my plan is."

Valentino showed nerves of steel to qualify in fifth position with a brilliant second run of 85.74. It was a score he needed to post after a first run of 31.75 that was well below his capabilities.

"On the first run I just made a little mistake which I've never made on that trick, ever," Val said.

"I tend to stay pretty calm, and I did that before the second run. I stepped away, reset [myself] and got myself ready to go. I am happy I stomped it."

Both competitors will have three runs down the halfpipe in the final, with qualification scores not carrying over. The best of each competitors' three scores will determine the medals.

Earlier in the day, PyeongChang 2018 finalist Emily Arthur was unable to advance to the last 12 in the women's competition.

Emily put down a solid first run of 62.50 to see her right on the cusp of the final 12 after the completion of the first round, but heading into her second run, she knew she needed to improve on her score as she had been relegated down to 13th place.

Despite a solid start, Emily was unable to stick one of her landings, crashing out and finishing with a score of 19.75. It saw her place 14th after the completion of two runs.

"It's OK, I'm walking away safely and not injured," Emily said.

"The second run was going really well, until I got there a little bit early, it's rough, I know I'm good enough to make the final but it's all OK.

The men's halfpipe final will be held on Friday 11 February from 12:30pm AEDT.

olympics.com.au
Damian Kelly

Tess Coady has become Australia's first medallist of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, taking out the bronze medal in the women's snowboard slopestyle at the Genting Snow Park.
 
It was pure elation for the 21-year-old from St Kilda in Melbourne, which finally puts the injury disappointment at PyeongChang 2018 behind her as she's become Australia's youngest woman to win a Winter Olympic medal.

Tess showed poise and skill beyond her years to post her bronze-medal clinching run, 84.15, on her last run in the competition. The score positioned her to occupy third position, after which she had to endure a nervous wait for the remaining competitors to potentially bump Tess off a podium finish.

She completed the podium with New Zealand's gold medallist Zoi Sadwoski Synnott who scored 92.88 and silver medallist Julia Marino from the United States of America whose best score from the judges was 87.68.

The bronze medal for Tess goes down as Australia's first ever Olympic medal in the snowboard slopestyle competition.

"That was wild, that was so insane," Tess said.

"Making it to the finals is always a win. Last night I was chatting to a friend and he said to me that I finally earned my ticket to freedom from the last four years.

"I really just took that mentality into today.

"I came back and got my redemption yesterday. Today I just wanted to have the best time and enjoy it the most and just send it."

Tess qualified for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics as Australia's youngest competitor at just 17 years-old. Unfortunately, she suffered a season-ending ACL injury during a training run on the Olympics course which robbed her of competing.

"It's crazy doing this kind of tour when you're a teenager. It's pretty easy to get to this big stage and think you're a rockstar. That kind of happened [to me], I just became complacent and sort of stopped working hard.

"[The injury] was totally kick up the arse that I needed to just get to work. In that whole year [rehabbing] I saw everyone getting so much better than me and when I got back on the snow, that was no excuses from here."

Tess knew she had the bronze medal locked up before the last run of the competition, which Sadwoski Synnott used to improve from a silver medal position to the gold medal.

The three medallists all share an extremely tight bond which dates back many competitions, and their emotions immediately spilled out together while sharing in each other's success.

"I love those girls so much. We're all so tight. It's pretty crazy in this sport, it's not like a lot of other sports where there's a lot of crazy competitiveness. There's nothing better than seeing someone land a good run.

"Julia, she's been struggling with slope events for the last year or two – not landing anything – and she was riding so good in the practice and it's so good to see her land something good because she deserves to be on that podium.

"And Zoe is one of my best mates. I'm just so, so hyped for her. She deserves that win so much."

After finishing yesterday's qualifying with the fifth best jump, Tess upped the ante in the final and set the tone for the rest of the field by being the first athlete of the competition to score over 80 with an 84.15.

The bronze medal for Tess becomes the 16th medal Australia has won in Winter Olympics history.

She had an encouraging result leading into the Beijing Olympics when she won bronze in the women's snowboard slopestyle at the 2021 World Championships in Aspen, Colorado.

olympics.com.au
Jeff Dickinson-Fox

Olympic debutant Matt Cox hasn't started his campaign in the fashion he hoped, missing the snowboard slopestyle finals.

The 23-year-old from Stanwell Park, New South Wales stepped onto the big stage in the zone, with the added motivation of just witnessing his teammate Tess Coady claim bronze.

Unfortunately it wasn't his day, as scores of 34.46 in the first run and 39.98 in the second weren't enough to qualify for the final, finishing 26th.

"The first run, in the start gate, I was there but I was two steps ahead of myself," Matt said.

"It was like I had already landed the run [in my mind], so I was going through [the run] but not quite present.

"I ended up making super small mistakes… I think that was down to jitters.

"I got back up there, was so ready for that second run and I was like ‘yeah this is it'. I had the feeling.

"We are all very talented snowboarders and all used to conditions changing. I guess a little bit of a mind game there, with it being a bit firmer than expected.

"I guess expectations always ruin reality, that was a bit of a rough one."

While Matt's slopestyle competition is over, he still has the big air to come which starts on Monday 14 February.

olympics.com.au
Lauren Ryan

Scotty James will head to the Beijing Olympic Winter Games full of confidence, after winning gold in the Halfpipe at the X-Games in Aspen, USA.
 
The 27-year-old snowboarder from Warrandyte, Melbourne, recorded his fourth X-Games victory with a number of impressive runs in the Aspen halfpipe, to finish ahead of Japanese riders Ayumu Hirano in second place, with his younger brother Kaishu Hirano in third.
 
Making his X Games debut, 16-year-old teen sensation Valentino Guseli from Dalmeny in NSW, finished in sixth place, with his highest score coming in the first run.
 
“It’s hard to put words on this honestly, after last week in Laax which was upsetting, and I just wanted to bounce back, I love Aspen, and I love this pipe” said James after completing his victory lap after being guaranteed the gold medal ahead of his final run.
 
“Ayumu is an amazing opponent and the rest of the field and I knew I had to bring my best, so I am absolutely thrilled.”
 
James is Australia’s most successful male snowboarder to date. The Olympic bronze medallist in 2018 has a collection of X Games medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), eleven FIS World Cup medals (6 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze) and four World Championship medals, including three gold.
 
Earlier in Aspen Tess Coady finished in sixth place in the snowboard slopestyle event.
 
The X-Games is the final event for James, Guseli and Coady before the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China.

Tess Coady has recorded the second World Cup victory of her career, with an impressive gold medal performance in the slopestyle event at the Laax Open in Switzerland, with Matt Cox and teen halfpipe sensation Valentino Guseli recording personal best finishes to make it a great day for Australian snowboarding.
 
In a dominating performance, Coady won the qualification round, and had the two highest scoring runs in the final, sealing the deal with a spectacular frontside double 1080 on the last jump.
 
In the best of two run format, Coady scored 79.60 on her first run, and with victory already assured before her final run, she stepped it up to score 86.18 to finish ahead of Anna Gasser of Austria on 78.56 and Annika Morgan of Germany with 76.61.
 
“It feels so good to take the win today” said the 21-year-old from Melbourne.
 
“Really just wanted to land my runs, I think that’s all you can ask for, so to achieve that today was just a win in itself for me.”
 
“This event is always so sick, it’s ran so well and the park is always built well. It makes a massive difference for the riders and how much you enjoy the event.”
 
“The frontside 1080 is a new one for me. I learnt it a few months ago at Prime parks in Stubai. I really wanted to bring it out today so super stoked I was able to do that.”
 
In the men’s event, Matt Cox’s best score came in run number two, with a 65.78 giving him the best World Cup slopestyle finish of his career in seventh place.
 
In the men’s halfpipe final, 16-year-old Valentino Guseli put down two great runs scoring 80.50 on his first run, and 80 on his second run to finish in a personal best fifth. 
 
Competing in his first event of the season, Scotty James unfortunately was unable to put two clean runs down in the final to finish in 11th place after leading the star studded field with the highest score in the qualification event.

Emily Arthur finished in 16th in the women's halfpipe event.
 
Coady, James and Guseli will now head to Aspen, USA, for the X-Games which will take place in the Colorado resort next weekend.

NSWIS snowboarder Matt Cox has finished in 16th place in the World Cup slopestyle event in Calgary, Canada.
 
The 23-year-old was drawn in heat number one, and in the best of two run format put down his highest score in run number one scoring 75 points.
 
The score put Cox in eighth place, advancing him through to the 16 man final.
 
Unfortunately in finals training, Cox suffered a crash ending his day, giving him a final ranking of 16th.
 
Taking the win on home soil was Canadian Sebastien Toutant, with Norwegian Mons Roisland in second place and American Luke Winkelmann rounding out the podium in third.
 
The World Cup tour now heads to Mammoth Mountain in California, USA, with World Cup events in slopestyle and halfpipe for skiers and snowboarders on January 6-8.

IMAGE: Buchholz/FIS Snowboard

Aussie snowboard teenage sensation Valentino Guseli has had a confidence boosting sixth place performance at the Dew Tour event in Copper Mountain, USA.
 
Guseli qualified for finals in ninth place, joining the best in the sport in the 10-man final featuring Shaun White and the dominant Japanese riders.
 
In an incredible final which featured the first ever triple cork in halfpipe competition by Japanese rider Ayumu Hirano, Guseli put his best run down in the first round, scoring 83 points. He was unable to improve his score in the final two rounds, placing him in sixth, one spot ahead of double Olympic gold medallist Shaun White.
 
Guseli also had the biggest air and amplitude in the event, going the highest on the Space Force height metre.
 
“Had a very fun day riding” said the 16-year-old from Dalmeny in NSW.
 
“Felt so good to put some runs down. The energy and hype from the crowd was definitely something else, so cool to feed off that and try and put on a show for the people. Thanks to everyone who watched!”
 
Taking the win was Yuto Totsuka from Japan with 95.50 points, second went to American Taylor Gold with a score of 92, and third place was another Japanese rider, Ruka Hirano with 89 points.

Snowboarder Matty Cox was flying the Australian flag at the Big Air World Cup event in Steamboat, Colorado, USA.

After a first run of 33.50, Cox improved to score 45.25 in his second run to finish 17th in his heat and a final ranking of 38th place overall.

Also in action in Steamboat competing In the Freeski Big Air event were Abi Harrigan (26th) and Cam Waddell (29th).

Tess Coady has finished the season with a bronze medal overnight at the World Cup snowboard slopestyle event in Silvaplana, Switzerland, giving her a seasons best end of season ranking of third in the world.
 
In the best of two run final, the 20-year-old from Melbourne put down two impressive runs, scoring 84 points on her first run and stepped it up on her final run to record a score of 86.25 points to secure the bronze medal in great conditions at the Swiss resort.
 
Coady’s run included in the top section of the course a switch backside blunt 270 out, cab 360 weddle, front 180 on 360 out on the rails and then a switch backside 900 melon, front 720 melon to tail, back 720 weddle, frontside crippler on the bottom section jumps.
 
Japan took the first two spots on the podium above Coady with Reira Iwabuchi taking the win with 91 points and Kokomo Murase in second place on 88.75 points.
 
The medal is Coady’s third of the season and the fifth major medal of her career (1 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze).
 
“It feels incredible to finish this season on a high” said the World Championship bronze medallist.
 
“It's really been foot on the gas the past couple of weeks, so I'm stoked I was able to find another gear and push myself to the end.
 
“The conditions and the course were perfect. This has been my favourite contest set up this season.
 
“I'm super stoked with this season, I would have been psyched to land one podium let alone three. It's been amazing and I'm so lucky to be out here.”
 
Coady finished the season ranked third on the World Cup standings with 165 points, only one point behind Kokomo Murase on 166 points in second place. Anna Gasser of Austria won the Crystal Globe with the number one world ranking on 195 points.

In the men's event, 15-year-old NSWIS snowboarding prodigy Valentino Guseli competed in the second World Cup slopestyle event of his career, placing 12th in his heat, just short of the top-eight required to advance to the final. Guseli finished with a final ranking of 30th place.

Both riders missed out on the top-six required to advanced to the final with Cox ranked 13th after scoring 67 points in his first qualification run and Guseli 18th in his World Cup slopestyle debut with 52 points in his second run. The final ranking were 27th for Cox and 35th for Guseli.

NSWIS snowboarder Emily Arthur has finished the season with a 12th place finish at the World Cup final in Aspen, Colorado.
 
Arthur had her best run in the first round of qualifying scoring 60 points, which put her in 12th position, just missing the eight woman final by four places
 
Taking the win was Olympic Champion Chloe Kim of the USA, with Queralt Castellet of Spain in second, with Japanese rider Sena Tomita rounding out the podium in third.
 
Competing in his second World Cup start, 15-year-old  NSWIS snowboarding prodigy Guseli finished in 29th place.
 
2021 World Champion Yuto Totsuka of Japan took the win in the men’s event with his fellow countryman Raibu Katayama in second with German Andre Hoeflich in third.
 
Three time Olympic Champion Shaun White of the USA made his return to competition for the first time since winning gold at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, just missing the podium in fourth place.
 
After taking home the silver medal last week at the World Championships in Aspen, VIS snowboarder Scotty James elected not to compete in the World Cup in Aspen. James will remain overseas to train during the next few months.

IMAGE: Emily Arthur launching out of the Aspen halfpipe © Chris Hocking

NSWIS snowboarder Tess Coady has finished in fifth at the slopestyle World Cup event in Aspen, USA, ending a successful competition block highlighted by a bronze medal at the World Championships earlier in the week.

After qualifying for finals in eighth place, the 20-year-old from Melbourne had her best score in the first run scoring 60.15 points. Coady was unable to improve her score in the final two runs, finishing in fifth place.

Recording victory was Anna Gasser of Austria, with American Hailey Langland in second place and Enni Rukajarvi in third.

NSWIS riders Matt Cox and Valentino Guseli who, were both drawn to compete in heat number two for the men’s qualification round.

Both riders missed out on the top-six required to advanced to the final with Cox ranked 13th after scoring 67 points in his first qualification run and Guseli 18th in his World Cup slopestyle debut with 52 points in his second run. The final ranking were 27th for Cox and 35th for Guseli.

Marcus Kleveland of Norway took the win in the men's event, with Red Gerard of the USA in second position and third place going to Canadian Mark McMorris.

The slopestyle athletes will now head to Silvaplana, Switzerland, for the World Cup final on March 28.

Going into the final, Coady is ranked fourth on the World Cup standings with 105 points, 40 points behind Anna Gasser in first place, 35 points behind second ranked Jamie Anderson of the USA and 7 points behind Hailey Langland in third. IMAGE: A smiling Tess Coady after a successful week in Aspen © Chris Hocking

NSWIS snowboarder Tess Coady has had the best big air result of her career, finishing in fifth place at the World Championships in Aspen, USA.

The format for the big air final was three jumps per athlete, with the best two scores counting toward your total score.

Coady’s highest scoring jump was in run number one, with her switch backside 900 with stalefish grab scoring 81.75 points. Coady’s second highest score was in the third run, scoring 70 points for her frontside double 900 with indy grab. The two jump total for Coady was 151.75 points, giving her a final ranking of fifth.

The gold medal with a score of 177.75 points went to Canadian Laurie Blouin, with 2021 slopestyle World Champion Zoi Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand in second place with 176.75 points and Japanese rider Miyabi Onitsuka in third place with 174.75 points.

In the men’s final Matt Cox's two highest scoring jumps were his second jump, a frontside 1080 with indy grab scoring 46.75 points and on his third jump a cab 1260 with stalefish grab scoring 64.75 points. This gave Cox a two jump score of 111.50 and a final ranking of tenth.

Canada took the first two places in the men’s event with Mark McMorris of Canada in first place and Max Parrot in second, Norwegian Marcus Kleveland finished in third.

IMAGE: Matt Cox going big in Aspen © Chris Hocking

Scotty James has just fallen short of recording a historic fourth straight halfpipe World Championship gold medal, claiming the silver medal today in Aspen, USA.
 
The 26-year-old from Warrandyte in Victoria put down an impressive opening run scoring 90.50 points to lead all competitors after the first round of finals.
 
Going past James in the second run was Yuto Totsuka from Japan who moved into first place with a score of 93 points. Totsuka increased his score on his third and final run with a huge 96.25 points to take the gold medal.
 
Rounding out the podium in the bronze medal position was Jan Scherrer of Switzerland who scored 87 points in is final run.
 
“Happy to come out here representing Australia doing the best I can, and that is really what I did today and that was a second place,” said the 2018 Olympic bronze medallist.
 
“Today I learnt a lot of lessons and things I will be able to move forward and put into play when I go into my offseason. I have tricks I want to achieve, and I will be back to where I want to be.”
 
“Huge thankyou to everyone back home that has been supporting me to this day. I wish I could have brought back a gold medal but give me a little bit of time and I will do no doubt do it again.”
 
In his World Championship debut, 15-year-old Australian snowboarding prodigy Valentino Guseli was unlucky not to make the 10-man final, missing out by just one place in eleventh position. In the women’s event Emily Arthur finished in tenth place, matching her best performance of the season.
 
The athletes will remain in Aspen for another week, with the World Cup final scheduled to take place on March 21. James will be looking to win his fourth World Cup Crystal Globe title and finish the season with a victory.

Tess Coady has taken bronze in Aspen, USA, joining the legendary Torah Bright as the only Australian snowboarder to win a World Championship medal in slopestyle.
 
In the best of three run final, the NSWIS snowboarder was super consistent, putting down good scores in each of her competition runs, with her highest score of 78.13 coming in run number two.
 
Coady’s run included a smooth rail section at the top of the course followed by the jump section with a switch backside 900, backside 720 and a frontside 720 with a double grab.
 
Taking the win was New Zealander Zoi Sadowski-Synnott with a score of 85.95 points, with two time Olympic champion Jamie Anderson of the USA in second place scoring 81.10 points.
 
“I am so stocked, it’s been a really great week here”, said the 2017 World Junior Champion from Melbourne.
 
“I was psyched when I made finals, but to come out with a podium is the best, it’s the cherry on top.
 
“It’s a tough field, the women are on another level at the moment and I am really excited to be a part of that.”
 
The medal is Coady’s second of the season and the fourth major medal of her career (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze).
 
Coady's NSWIS teammate Matt Cox placed 17th in his heat, missing out on the top eight required to reach the men's final.

Snow Australia is pleased to announce the eight athletes who will compete in the 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships, which have been rescheduled to take place in Aspen, Colorado (USA) from the 10th to 16th of March after the original host Zhangjiakuo, China, had to withdraw earlier this season.

The Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships will include slopestyle, halfpipe and big air events for both Snowboard and Freeski. The live streaming of the event will be available to the Australian audience online at www.snow.org.au/live.

The World Cup season for both disciplines has been unlike any other, with many World Cup events cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NSWIS Head Coach for Park & Pipe, Patrick Walsh said that the Freeski team have taken the opportunity to work hard during a long training camp in Austria for the past couple of months. The three Australian freeski athletes on the team, Abi Harrigan, Mia Rennie and Bailey Johnson are all making their maiden appearance at a World Championships. Unfortunately Cameron Waddell, who was tipped to be Australia’s top male skier at the event, won’t travel to Aspen due to an injury occurred during a training session in Austria.

“Abi, Mia, and Bailey are all skiing strong, and keen to get into the start gate to represent Australia in Aspen,” Walsh said.

National Freeski Development Coach Leon Tarbotton said that the team is extremely grateful for the opportunity to ski and train in Austria during the Northern Hemisphere winter season.

“They have all managed to find their ski legs and have been skiing well. We have also been extremely fortunate with weather in Absolut Park, Austria.

“We are hoping that our athletes' inexperience at a World Championships and World Cup level events may work in their favor. Both Abi and Mia have competed recently at World Junior events and at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne,” Tarbotton said.

With very few World Cups being able to run this season, the World Championships in Aspen are the biggest opportunity for Australian athletes to score valuable qualification points for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. The Australian team coaching staff said this season’s program was structured to maximise this opportunity.

“Our skiers are still very new to competing at a World Cup level. With this in mind and our focus on building into a debut Olympic qualification, we won’t be swinging for the fences when at World’s,” Walsh said.

“Instead, we’ll be taking a more conservative and consistent approach to this event. The goal is to get some points on the board and walk away with a result that brings us closer to the Games, along with building our capabilities amongst a world’s best field.”

The Park and Pipe snowboard team is a much more experienced group of athletes, led by Australia’s most successful male snowboarder to date and three-time reigning World Champion Scotty James. Despite a shortened season, James was able to finish second in the only World Cup Halfpipe event of the year in Laax, Switzerland, and claim his sixth X-Games Superpipe medal, a silver, in Aspen.

Behind James, other Australian athletes to keep an eye out for are World Cup winner Tess Coady, Olympian Emily Arthur, Matt Cox and World Cup and World Championship rookie 16 year old, Valentino Guseli.

Guseli recently was super impressive qualifying through to the Finals round in 1st place at his World Cup Debut in LAAX, Switzerland. He eventually finished eighth in the Finals round.

The World Championships kick off Wednesday 10 March with qualifications for Freestyle Halfpipe and Snowboard Slopestyle. Head over to www.snow.org.au/live for the live streaming of the event.

The Australian team for the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships:

    Matthew COX - Snowboard (Slopestyle, Big Air)
    Valentino GUSELI - Snowboard (Halfpipe)
    Scotty JAMES - Snowboard (Halfpipe)
    Emily ARTHUR - Snowboard (Halfpipe)
    Tess COADY - Snowboard (Slopestyle, Big Air)
    Bailey JOHNSON - Freeski (Slopestyle, Big Air)
    Abi HARRIGAN - Freeski (Slopestyle, Big Air)
    Mia RENNIE - Freeski (Slopestyle, Big Air)

Article Courtesy Snow Australia

IMAGE: Scotty James celebrates gold last season at the Olympic test event World Cup in China © Chris Hocking/OWIA

 

Scotty James has come agonisingly close to winning his third straight X Games gold, claiming the silver medal in the superpipe event in Aspen, Colorado (USA) today. The podium performance is the sixth X Games superpipe medal of his decorated snowboarding career.
 
The 25-year-old snowboarder from Warrandyte, Melbourne, led for most of the competition with an impressive first run, before being overtaken by Japanese rider Yuto Totsuka in the later rounds.
 
In the last run of the day James had one last chance to topple Totsuka and delivered an impressive performance but came up just short in the judge’s eyes.
 
Rounding out the podium in third place was another Japanese rider, Ruka Hirano.
 
Three time Olympic champion Shaun White (USA) was set to make his comeback in his first event since the 2018 Winter Olympics, however he withdrew due to injury just hours before the competition with a tweaked knee.


IMAGE © Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images

Scotty James has made a successful start to his northern hemisphere winter with a silver medal performance overnight at the opening FIS World Cup event in Laax, Switzerland.
 
The 26-year-old triple World Champion from Warrandyte in Victoria put down an impressive opening run scoring 93.75 points to lead all competitors after the first round of finals.
 
In his second run, James had another strong performance scoring 86.50 but was unable to better his first run in the best of two finals format.
 
Going past James in the second run to take the win was Yuto Totsuka from Japan on 95.25 points, with his teammates Ruka Hirano in third place with a score of 88.25.
 
The podium performance is the 11th World Cup medal of James career (6 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze).
 
“I’m getting my amplitude and execution back and just feeling good snowboarding,” James said, “I mean, it’s been a long time since I’ve really been in the pipe but those Japanese guys, while I was sitting home on the couch in quarantine in Australia not able to go anywhere, they had a halfpipe and they were working hard.”
 
“So I’m really excited (with second place). I’ve got a smile under my mask.”
 
It was a spectacular debut event by Australian 15-year-old snowboarding prodigy Valentino Guseli, who shocked the winter sports world by blitzing the field in qualifying for finals in first place.
 
In the final the teen sensation from the NSW south coast finished in eighth place, an amazing result in his first ever World Cup debut.
 
“Had the greatest experience In Laax this year, thanks for everyone’s support and help,” Guseli posted after the event.
 
“Can’t wait to come back again stronger next year.”
 
James will next be in action at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado, USA, where he will be aiming for his third straight victory at the event on Sunday January 31.

It was a stellar start to the FIS World Cup slopestyle season for 20-year-old snowboarder Tess Coady, with a third place podium performance at the opening event of the season overnight in Laax, Switzerland.
 
The 2017 World Junior Champion from Melbourne qualified through to finals in sixth place at the prestigious event featuring a star studded field.
 
Finals competition took place in difficult conditions with competitors facing strong winds, with Coady producing her best in the second and final run scoring 76.93 to record the third World Cup podium of her career (1 gold, 2 bronze).
 
Coady’s run included a half cab over the tube to boardslide to fakie on the waterfall, cab 180 to backside 360 out on the pole jam, cripple Indy on the wing kicker, frontside 720 melon to tail grab, backside 900 weddle, switch backside 180 nose grab out on the watch.
 
“So stocked to have put down a good run and be back on the podium” said Coady after her podium performance.
 
“My cab 180 to backside 360 on the pole jam and the backside 900 both did a lot for me today.”
 
Taking the win was two time Olympic champion Jamie Anderson of the USA, with New Zealander Zoi Sadowski-Synnott in third.
 
Coady will remain in Europe for training until the next events on the FIS competition calendar are confirmed.

Australian 15-year-old snowboarding prodigy Valentino Guseli has shocked the winter sports world by blitzing the field in qualifying for tonight's Laax Open Halfpipe World Cup in Switzerland.
 
The teen sensation from the NSW south coast wowed the judges with a near perfect 95 point score (out of 100) to lead the field in qualifying in his debut World Cup appearance.
 
Guseli was identified in Australia as an extreme talent some years ago but has been forced to wait till reaching the minimum age of 15 to compete in World Cup competition and test himself against the best riders on the planet. 
 
The qualifying result is the best ever by an Australian winter sports athlete on debut.
 
Fellow Aussie, World number one and triple World Champion Scotty James also qualified with a solid 81 point run in equal 3rd place.
 
The final takes place tonight under lights in Laax with two Aussies well placed to take home some silverware against the world's best snowboarders.
 

NSWIS snowboard athletes Tess Coady and Matt Cox have taken part in their first World Cup event of the 2020/21 season, with a big air competition held with an all star field in Kreischberg, Austria.
 
In the qualifying round, Tess Coady placed 22nd with a two jump total score of 96.60 points, missing out on the six woman final in her first World Cup big air start since November 2019.
 
Zoi Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand took the win in the women’s event, with Kokomo Murase of Japan finishing second, with Anna Gasser of Austria in third place.
 
The men’s field for qualifying was split into two heats, with Matt Cox taking part in heat number one. He placed 13th in his heat with a two jump score of 123.60 points, placing him in an overall position of 27th.
 
The men’s event was won by Canadian Max Parrot, with Swedish rider Sven Thorgren in second and Mons Roisland in third.
 
The next event for the park and pipe athletes is in Laax, Switzerland with a slopestyle event scheduled on January 22 and halfpipe on January 23.

In the halfpipe event, Scotty James will be competing for the first time this season, and young gun Valentino Guseli also making his World Cup debut. Emily Arthur will also be in action in the women’s event.
 
Coady and Cox will feature again, this time in the slopestyle discipline.
 
IMAGE: Matt Cox flying high in Kreischberg © Matt Cox Instagram