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

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.

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.

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.

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.
 

Triple World Champion Scotty James relocated to Europe in August and has been training on snow over the past months preparing for the northern hemisphere winter.
 
Tess Coady, Matt Cox and Valentino Guseli all spent time in Perisher during the Australian winter, before travelling to Europe at the end of September for on snow training camps at air bag and glacier based terrain parks in Austria and Switzerland.
 
The Copper Mountain World Cup event scheduled for December was cancelled due to COVID restrictions in Colorado, and postponing the first events of the season until January

Crystal Globes winners, snowboarder Scotty James and aerial skier Laura Peel, were today named the joint winners of the Olympic Athlete of the Year title for the 2020 Snow Australia Awards.
 
After an outstanding Northern winter that saw them both finish the season ranked number one in the World, the pair once again have been named joint winners of the award, previously sharing the title in 2015. 
 
Triple Olympian James now becomes the first person in history of the Snow Australia Awards to win the Athlete of the Year Award four times.
 
It was an extraordinary season for both athletes, with dual Olympian Peel claiming her career first Crystal Globe, and James becoming the overall season champion for the third time.
 
Peel finished the season with two gold, one silver and one bronze medal, in her first year jumping triple back somersaults.
 
The 30-year-old Canberra local said that this season far exceeded the expectations she had set for herself before it commenced.
 
“It was a great season - was pretty magic for me,” Peel said.
 
“I went in doing triples and completing triples for the first time - so the goal wasn’t to win the Crystal Globe, it was to gain some experience doing triples.
 
“But that (winning the Crystal Globe) has been a dream of mine pretty much since I started the sport so this was a really amazing season,” she said.
 
James successfully defended his X-Games titles and won the Dew Tour event in Copper Mountain. He qualified first in every World Cup event, before going on to finish the season with three golds and one silver World Cup medals.
 
James echoed Peel’s sentiments, adding that he feels extremely honoured to be named Athlete of the Year amongst some great talent in his fellow finalists.
 
“It’s getting harder every year to win this award, so each year brings a different excitement,” James said.
 
“I’m very happy to be the winner of this award, alongside Laura again. She’s been amazing and I’ve been watching from afar. As winter athletes we don’t get to be together that often so it’s been good to watch and support each other from afar.”
 
Snow Australia Chief Executive Officer Michael Kennedy said he couldn’t think of two more deserving winners for the title of Athlete of the Year (Olympic Disciplines) than Scotty and Laura.
 
“Scotty and Laura had fantastic seasons. They are both pushing themselves and their sport to the next level,” Kennedy said.
 
“Scotty’s consistent results made him unstoppable this season and it’s great to see him once again be crowned our Athlete of the Year,” he said.
 
“As for Laura, she now joins Aerials royalty in becoming World Cup Champion joining the greats of our sport in Kirstie Marshall, Jacqui Cooper, Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila in that honour.
 
The Athlete of the Year award caps off what has been a fantastic celebration of Australia’s snowsports athletes as part of the 2020 Snow Australia Awards online.
 
For a full list of Award winners - click here.

In the final halfpipe event of the season, Scotty James has claimed the bronze medal at the Burton US Open in Vail, USA.
 
The medal winning performance concludes another amazing season for the 25 year old triple World Champion from Warrandyte, Melbourne, having won the World Cup title as the number one ranked snowboard halfpipe rider in the world, and landing on the podium at all seven events he competed in for five  gold medals, 1 silver medal and 1 bronze medal. 

The US Open ran a modified course design, that started with a 13-foot minipipe, featuring 6-foot tombstones, that transitions into the standard 22-foot superpipe.
 
James had trouble in the top section in his first two runs, but put down an impressive third run scoring 93.00 points, which included a massive switch backside double cork 1260, and was unlucky not to finish higher on the podium.

"It was tough, I am not used to that position (riding first in the final run), but I kind of needed that extra kick in the ass I think to come out and land my third run", James commented in the finish area.

"I am glad I put one down, a little disappointing, obviously I would have liked to have come away with the win, but it is what it is, everyone is riding amazing and I am just stoked to be out here."
 
Finishing above James on the podium was Japanese rider Yuto Totsuka in first place, with the silver medal going to Jan Scherrer of Switzerland.

IMAGE: Scotty James Instagram

Scotty James has finished second and taken out the third World Cup title of his career at the final FIS World Cup snowboard halfpipe event of the season in Calgary, Canada.
 
The silver medal ends the amazing 11 win streak for the VIS Snowboarder, which commenced after his Olympic Games bronze medal performance in PyeongChang, Korea, in 2018.
 
After qualifying in first place, James posted his best score of 92.25 points in the second run of finals, but it wasn’t enough to top Japanese rider Ruka Hirano who scored 94.75 points on the third and final run. Rounding out the podium was Patrick Burgener of Switzerland with a score of 89.50.
 
James said in his post competition interview: "I feel pretty good, it's probably bitter sweet to say that obviously it hurts a little bit to finish in second but it is what it is. Ruka rode amazingly and he was the guy tonight.

"A big thank you to my team and everyone supporting me, it's amazing to come away with a Crystal Globe, these aren't easy to  win these days, so it's definitely exciting."
 
James now has three World Cup titles, having finished first on the standings previously in 2014 and 2017. 

This years standings saw Scotty James on top with 3800 points followed by Yuto Totska from Japan second on 3400 points and fellow countryman (today's gold medalist) Ruka Hirano third with 2800 points.
 
The final event of the season for James will be the US Open in Vail, Colorado, USA, on Saturday February 29.

Scotty James has continued his amazing win streak, with another gold medal performance at the Dew Tour event in Copper Mountain, Colorado, USA.
 
Competing in a unique modified halfpipe design that incorporated additional big air features usually seen in a terrain park, the 25 year old triple World Champion from Warrandyte, Melbourne, set a high score of 95.33 in his first run, that remained unchallenged for the next two rounds as he extended his winning streak to 11 events.
 
Behind James on the podium was Japanese rider Yuto Totsuka in second with a best score of 93.33 points and Pat Burgener from Switzerland in third with 91.00 points
.
“I never come into any competition expecting to win,” said James.
 
“Everyone is riding so well, so I knew I had to bring my best, to keep the streak alive is just the cherry on top.
 
“Adapting is huge in expressing creativity. Not every pipe is the same, not every run is the same and this course channels that. It’s innovative with lots of elements that are very different and that’s why this is so unique.”
 
James will now head to Calgary, Canada, for a FIS World Cup event next weekend, with the final scheduled to take place on the 15th of February.

Scotty James has extended his amazing win streak to ten events, with the Australian halfpipe rider defending his X-Games title in Aspen, Colorado, USA.

The 25 year old snowboarder from Warrandyte, Melbourne, led from start to finish in the jam format to claim his third career gold medal and celebrate with a victory lap ahead of his final run.

Behind James on the podium was Japanese rider Yuto Totsuka in second, with Jan Scherrer from Switzerland in third.
“I knew everyone was going to come out tonight and go for it”, James said in the finish area seconds after finishing his run.

“The variety tonight was really cool, and it definitely tested me.”

“In snowboarding we typically have one run in mind that we want to do, and tonight tested us all a little bit, we dropped from different sides, had different runs ,and really channelled that inner snowboarder from back in the day, so it’s been very cool tonight.”

“Aspen is always an insane event to ride and X-Games always makes it really cool for us.”

James is Australia’s most successful male snowboarder to date. The three time World Champion won an Olympic bronze medal at PyeongChang in 2018, has a collection of X Games medals (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) and nine FIS World Cup medals (6 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze).

James also became the second most successful half pipe rider in X Games history behind 2018 Olympic Champion Shawn White.

Photo by Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images

It was another golden performance for Australia’s Scotty James overnight at the Laax Open World Cup event in Switzerland.

The 25 year old snowboarder from Warrandyte, Melbourne, took the first place podium for the third time this season, extending his current win streak to nine events dating back to December 2018.

James led the field with a huge 95.75 points in his first run, and held the lead for the rest of the event with a simple victory lap on his second and final run.

Behind James on the podium was Japanese rider Yuto Totsuka (92.25) in second, with American Taylor Gold (87.00) in third.

“It feels absolutely amazing,” James smiled after he completed a high-five victory lap down the sides of the pipe, “I know coming into tonight it was going to be really tough, everyone was going to bring their A-game, but I was ready to go there.

“I know Yuto (Totsuka) was going to go for it so I didn’t take anything for granted and I was ready to go again (in my second run) if I needed to, but it’s definitely sweet to be able to come down and say thank you to everyone that’s come out to watch us tonight. It really does mean the world and it makes our job so enjoyable.”

James is Australia’s most successful male snowboarder to date. The three time World Champion won an Olympic bronze medal at PyeongChang in 2018, has a plethora of X Games medals (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) and now nine FIS World Cup medals (6 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) to add to his collection.

James will next look to defend his title at the X-Games in Aspen, Colorado, USA, on January 24.

It was another golden performance for Australia’s Scotty James overnight at the World Cup event in Secret Garden, China, site of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games competition.

The 25 year old VIS snowboarder took the first place podium for the second consecutive time this season.

James led the field with a mammoth 97.80 points in his second run, and held the lead for the rest of the event with a simple victory lap on his third and final run.

“It was definitely a pretty tough day with lots of elements to consider, some winds, a lot of snow, but I mean we prepare for the worst really, so I was really happy that was the run I wanted to do, regardless if it was sunny or snowing”, said the three time World Champion.

“My first run I wasn’t super happy, I did a little hand drag on the last hit, and I knew that I would get docked for that. I knew what I had to do on the second run and I just went back to the top refreshed and got ready to go again.”

“The Japanese athletes really brought it to me today, and I knew they would, so I just came out and gave it my best shot and it seems to be paying off.”

“I am really happy to leave my mark here and finish up with a win. With Secret Garden the Olympic venue in 2022, it was important for me to come here and not leave anything on the table, which I didn’t, and I am stoked.”

James is Australia’s most successful male snowboarder to date. The three time World Champion won an Olympic bronze medal at PyeongChang in 2018, has a plethora of X Games medals (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) and now eight FIS World Cup medals (5 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) to add to his collection.

Behind James on the podium were Japanese riders Yuto Totsuka (95.80) in second and Ruka Hirano (92.50) in third.

Also competing for Australia was NSWIS athlete and 2018 Olympian Emily Arthur, who missed out on the eight woman final placing 14th in the qualifying round.

James and Arthur will next compete at the Laax Open in Switzerland from January 14-18.

It was a golden FIS World Cup opener for Australia’s Scotty James at the Land Rover US Grand Prix event at Copper Mountain, Colorado, USA.

The 25 year old VIS snowboarder, took the first place podium for the second consecutive year at the event.

James, a three time Winter Olympian, led the field with a mammoth 96 point first run in challenging snow and flat light conditions and held the first run lead for the rest of the event with a simple victory lap on his third and final run.

“I definitely put some added pressure on myself after last year with some big expectations” said the Australian Institute of Sport male athlete of the year.

“I had to iron those emotions over and just come out with a clear head and approach it as a new season. I did that and just came out today and knew what I had to do to be up top. The elements weren’t in our favour today but everyone rode really well and I knew they were going to, so I had to bring it today.”

James is Australia’s most successful male snowboarder to date. The three time FIS World Champion won an Olympic bronze medal at PyeongChang in 2018, has a plethora of X Games medals (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) and now seven FIS World Cup medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) to add to his collection.

Yuto Totsuka (JPN) took silver with 94.5 and Ruka Hirano (JPN) took bronze with 89.25.

NSWIS rider Emily Arthur finished in 25th place, missing out on the eight woman final.

James and Arthur will now travel to Secret Garden in China for the next FIS World Cup on December 22.

Pyeongchang bronze medalist and current World Champion and X Games champion Scotty James has been awarded Male Athlete of the Year after completing the perfect season, winning six of six events.

This is the second time James has won the prestigious male athlete of the year, after first having done so in 2017.
James enjoyed another exceptional snowboard season, including an unprecedented third consecutive halfpipe title.

A veteran of the sport at age 25, James finished the season with wins at The Dew Tour, X Games, US Grand Prix, Laax Open and the US Burton Open.

James was unfortunately unable to attend on the night, as he is currently preparing for his first event of the season in Copper Mountain (USA) in the Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup that starts tomorrow, see below his video acceptance speech.

With an unbeaten season, triple Olympian Scotty James has been awarded the coveted VIS Award of Excellence for a second consecutive year.

James won gold at six out of six events throughout the 2018/19 season including wins at The Dew Tour, X Games, US Grand Prix, Laax Open and the US Burton Open, as well as a third consecutive FIS World Championship title, an unprecedented feat as the first-ever snowboarder to do so.

James is now in the same category as the likes of fellow VIS athletes; Cadel Evans, Cathy Freeman, Kim Brennan, Drew Ginn & James Tomkins as dual Award of Excellence recipients.
“Cadel Evans, Huge fan. Cathy Freeman I grew up watching her at the Olympics and it was always inspiring so to be placed up alongside those two is pretty special and I’ll pinch myself every time I look at it.” James says.

The function was held at Carousel on Albert Park Lake and was attended by over 250 athletes, staff, partners and stakeholders, and recognised and celebrated the outstanding sporting achievements of VIS athletes from a year which brought us World Champions, World Records and a whole lot of Personal Bests.

Six main awards were presented including; the Award of Excellence, the Para Award, 2XU Rising Star Award, the Sarah Tait Spirit Award, the Performance Lifestyle Award and the very special Frank Pyke Achievement Award. In addition, a Coach Award is given to one athlete in each Tier 1 sport who is most deserving within this calendar year.

Award of Excellence:

The Award of Excellence, which honours the athlete who has achieved outstanding sporting results during the year, while contributing to the promotion and development of their sport, has been previously won by notable champions such as Catherine Freeman, Lydia Lassila, Cadel Evans, Mack Horton and Dylan Alcott - it is the pinnacle of VIS Awards.

The 2019 finalists for the Award of Excellence were snowboarder Scotty James, cyclist Kelland O’Brien and rowers Lucy Stephan and Katrina Werry.

After becoming the first-ever snowboarder to finish the season undefeated, Scotty James was awarded the 2019 Award of Excellence for a second consecutive year.

James won gold at six out of six events throughout the 2018/19 season including wins at The Dew Tour, X Games, US Grand Prix, Laax Open and the US Burton Open, as well as a third consecutive FIS World Championship title.

“I’m pretty stoked I get to be hung up against the wall with some other amazing athletes and legends that I admire.” He says.

James says that whilst being able to stand on top of the podium at every event was exciting, he knows that it can be taken away from him at any point.

“It’s been challenging for me to date, to get to where I am, but I think it’s going to be even more challenging to stay here. But, I’m excited for that. As long as im aware that it can be taken away from me at any moment, if I take it for granted, then I never will.”

Scotty is an active role model and mentor within his sport as well as a great ambassador for winter sports and the sporting community. He’s played an active leadership role within the newly structured National Park & Pipe Program which targets young athletes with potential to be medal contenders at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Scotty has also recently been working closely with the OWIA and Mt Buller to secure the best possible National training facility for halfpipe here in Victoria. He has spent considerable time and effort to try to bring this to fruition and has gladly volunteered his time and effort to assist with this project.

On winning his second-consecutive Award of Excellence, James wanted to praise the Victorian Institute of Sport community.

“The VIS has been an amazing support network every time I’m home in Australia. Snowboarding is a sport that is outside the box and it can be challenging at time to get support in areas that I need. But, I know the VIS will always have my back and are very adaptive to me and what I was trying to achieve.” He says.  

Unfortunately Scotty was unable to attend the event, but Dad, Phil and Sister Rebecca accepted the award on his behalf. However, in true Scotty-style, the loveable boy from Warrandyte prepared this unique acceptance message;

The unstoppable Scotty James has capped off an incredible season this weekend, winning gold at six out of six events.

It was at the Burton US Open Snowboard event at Vail, CO, USA that James completed "the perfect season", taking out his sixth halfpipe gold medal for 2018/19 with a score of 92.00.

James credits missing out on first place in the semis, with inspiring his most recent gold-winning run.

"I wanted to ride my snowboard the way I do, I was able to do that and I am over the moon," he said.

"It's been an amazing season and coming up second in the semis put a fire under my butt and I didn't like finishing there."

Scotty James finishes the season with wins at The Dew Tour, X Games, US Grand Prix, Laax Open and the US Burton Open, as well as a third consecutive FIS World Championship title, an unprecedented feat as the first-ever snowboarder to do so.

Of winning his third-consecutive world title, the Melbournian said he couldn't believe it.

“I was pinching myself when I won my second world title, and now I’m triple pinching myself that I’ve won my third. It’s amazing."

NSWIS two-time Olympian Kent Callister also made the 10-man final, finishing ninth overall.

Impressive 13-year-old young gun Valentino Guseli placed 19th in the men's open event, after a spectacular win in the Junior Jam, which qualified the NSWIS Park & Pipe rider for the open competition.

IMAGE - Scotty James celebrating his sixth win of the year in Vail at the US Open © blattphoto

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The undefeated reign of Scotty James continued on the weekend with the 24-year-old taking out the Winter X Games Superpipe title, his fourth win from as many starts this season.

James broke his snowboard in a training mishap just before the event, but that didn’t stop him from bouncing back and putting down a gold-medal winning second run which included a backside double 1260 and a switch backside 1080 to score 94 points.

Sunday’s win was James’ second X Games victory in three years after he claimed the title in 2017 and finished runner up last year.

James’ win is even more remarkable given his challenging preparation.

"I had a pretty horrible practice, which was really messing with me a little bit," James told the Aspen Times.

"I broke my snowboard and I hadn't done all my tricks yet or finished the run that I wanted to do.

"I was able to get up and get one more run in, but it was a new board, so it was a little bit hard for me to figure it out. It was a pretty dramatic set-up into the competition but I was stoked I was able to pull it off."

Japan’s Yuto Totsuka finished second with a score of 90.00 and America’s Danny Davis rounded out the podium with a top score of 83.66.

Like his Laax World Cup win from the weekend before, James used his final run of the competition to ride down the side of the pipe and high-five the fans.

“I came here tonight and everyone is riding so well, so I didn’t expect anything,” James said.
“So to come out with a victory lap at the end is a dream come true. To have X Games medals, I’m just so grateful.”
Taking the victory the day after Australia Day, James thanked all his Aussie fans in the crowd and supporting him from back home.

“Huge shout out back home to everyone in Australia! I’ve said it so many times but I’m just a kid from Warrandyte that had a dream. Everyone back home, and my brother at the top of the pipe, and my family in the crowd today, everyone just believed in me and I surround myself with like-minded people. Australia got behind me and so did Aspen and everyone else here today!”

IMAGE: Scotty James biting into his X-Games Gold Medal © Scotty James Instagram

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au

The unstoppable Scotty James collected his third straight win of the season, clocking up a massive score of 95.75 to take gold at the Laax Open in Switzerland. 

James defeated Japan’s Yuto Totsuka (92.00) and USA’s Jake Pates (85.50) with his massive opening run, before riding down the sides of the halfpipe in his final run and high-fiving the cheering crowd. 

It was the 24-year-old VIS athlete's first victory at Laax. 

“The Laax Open was an event I’ve wanted to win for a while, and to do it under the lights in front of all these fans makes it extra special,” James said. 

“I’ve been working on that run for a while and it’s nice to put it all together.  

“The switch backside riding, I really enjoy it and it’s a big element of my run. I’m trying to keep it technical but also keep the amplitude up and hopefully look like I’m enjoying myself while I’m at it.” 

James is now sitting in top spot on the 2018/19 Halfpipe World Cup leaderboard with 2000 points, ahead of Totsuka at 1760 points and previous leader, Jan Scherrer in third place with 1560 points. 

NSWIS rider Kent Callister also performed well, advancing through to the final and finishing in ninth place, his second top-10 performance of the season. 

IMAGE - Scotty James celebrates another victory in Laax  © FIS
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PyeongChang 2018 bronze medallist Scotty James has started the new Snowboard World Cup season off with a bang, winning gold at the opening Halfpipe World Cup in Copper Mountain on the weekend.

After heading into the final ranked third, James put down a blistering score of 96.75 in his third and final run of the day to secure the victory ahead of America’s Toby Miller (94.00) and Chase Josey (90.25) in second and third.

The Copper Mountain World Cup was the first event for the 24-year-old VIS athlete since he won Olympic bronze in February. James said he feels like there is less pressure on him this season, and he's feeling really positive.

“It was an amazing feeling today, there are so many good riders, everyone really showed up and I really had to come out swinging on the last run,” he said.

“Last year I came into this event and qualified first so there was a lot of pressure, but I feel really good this year.
“I don’t really mind where I qualify at all, on the day I just want to show up. I’m feeling better than ever, so it’s a really nice place to kick off the season.”

While the World Cup points are important, James’ big goal for this season is a third World title at the 2019 World Championships in Park City, Utah in early February.

“I’m looking forward to the World Champs. It is my title to hold onto and it would be number three for me, so that would be really exciting, I just hope I can get it done.”

James’ Aussie teammate and dual Winter Olympian Kent Callister also qualified for the final, placing 9th. PyeongChang Olympian Emily Arthur finished 13th in the women’s event, that was unsurprisingly won by PyeongChang gold medallist and three-time Copper Mountain World Cup victor, 18-year-old Chloe Kim.

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au