Article courtesy Victorian Institute of Sport
 
Australia’s most decorated snowboarder, Scotty James, has the chance to become a three-time VIS Award of Excellence winner, having won the award back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
 
James has continued to push the boundaries of what’s possible on the halfpipe. With the clock ticking to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, he’s claimed his fourth world championship title, seventh X Games gold medal and finished top of the podium at the 2025 LAAX World Cup.
 
The 2025 Award of Excellence finalists are:

• Scotty James (Snowboarding)
• Alana Forster (Para-cycling)
• Emily Petricola OAM (Para-cycling)

“Among a highly competitive and talented field of nominees, our award finalists truly embody the VIS vision – in which VIS athletes are thriving and succeeding on the big stage and inspiring Victorians," said VIS CEO, Nicole Livingstone AO.
 
"Their dedication to sport is reflected in their consistent ability to perform as world-leaders, elevating Australian sport and making our state proud.”
 
The annual VIS Award of Excellence will take place at the Melbourne Recital Centre on November 11, honoring the national and international accomplishments of VIS athletes and the way they strive to win well in both sport and in life.
 
Link - https://vis.org.au/news/2025/10/vis-2025-award-of-excellence-finalists-announced

IMAGE: Scotty James celebrates World Championship gold number four in Switzerland 
© Chris Hocking

Snowboarder Scotty James has won an incredible fourth career halfpipe World Championship gold medal in St Mortiz-Engadin, Switzerland, making it a double medal celebration for Australia after Mia Clift and Cam Bolton claimed silver in the snowboard cross mixed team event earlier in the day.
 
James four World Championship gold medals make him the most successful snowboard halfpipe rider in history. Additionally, he has the highest number of World Championship wins among Australian winter sports athletes.
 
In the best of two run final in blizzard conditions, James opened with a score 89.50 for the highest scoring run of the round, leading Japanese riders Yuto Totsuka on 88.75 in second place and Ruka Hirano third on 88.50.
 
In the final run, James performed the same tricks but improved his execution and landings to score a huge 95 points. His run including a switch McTwist Japan grab, cab double cork 1080 with grab, frontside double cork 1260 with grab, backside double cork 1080 with grab and switch backside double cork 1260 with grab.
 
After James final run, the two Japanese riders were the only competitors left to go. They both increased their score from the first run, but it wasn’t enough to catch James, with Hirano second on 92.25 and Totsuka third on 92 points.
 
“Coming out this week it was such a challenge, with the weather and to ride at this level is already so high, and I definitely was sitting there feeling ok when Ruka and Yuto were dropping, they have been riding incredibly well all season and I have had some great battles with them” said the 30-year-old from Warrandyte in Victoria.
 
“Halfpipe is a scary sport, and it gets even scary when conditions are tough, I'm really pumped and felt like I had to be resilient today, so I’m stoked.”
 
“Honestly, I didn't really know what conditions to expect, I knew that it was going to be slow and the pipe was full of snow, and maybe runs might be toned down a bit, but then again once the good slip of the pipe gets through and you get a bit of momentum, you can usually get some better runs going.
 
“The 2023 World Championships was not a good day for me, I was pretty disappointed with my outcome and I wanted to make a statement for myself personally, that I wanted to come back and finish at the top, to have won four world titles again I'm pinching myself.”
 
Australia currently has three medals at the World Championships in St Moritz, snowboard halfpipe gold to James, silver in snowboard cross mixed teams to Mia Clift and Cam Bolton and bronze to Matt Graham in the dual moguls. The World Championships conclude tonight in Switzerland, with Australian aerial skiers Laura Peel, Danielle Scott and Airleigh Frigo a strong chance for another medal.

Two-time Olympic medallist and seven-time X-Games champion Scotty James has placed fifth in the World Cup event in Aspen, USA, as competitors found the flat light challenging in the halfpipe.
 
Competing in the Aspen halfpipe where the VIS snowboarder claimed a record fourth straight X-Games gold the week before, James delivered an impressive performance dominating heat number two by achieving the highest score among all competitors with an outstanding 92 points.
 
In the best of three run final, James came close to putting down a medal winning performance in his second and third runs, but a few small mistakes resulted in an 85.75 in run two and 85 in run three, giving him a final ranking of fifth.
 
Japan swept the first four positions in the men’s event, with Ruka Hirano first on 93.25, Ayumu Hirano second 89.50, Ryusei Yamada third 88.25 and Yuto Totsuka fourth 87.5.

After four World Cup events, James is ranked fourth on 275 points, trailing Japanese riders Ayumu Hirano on 290, Ruka Hirano 285, and Totsuka 280.
 
In the women’s event Amelie Haskell was 13th, Misaki Vaughan 26th and two-time Olympic champion Chloe Kim of the USA took the win.
 
Freeski & Snowboard Slopestyle
 
Australia’s best performed in the slopestyle was NSWIS freeskier Daisy Thomas who finished in 16th place and in the snowboard slopestyle Paige Jones was 25th, Allie Hickman 28th and Jesse Parkinson 32nd.  
 
World Cup big air events will take place in Aspen this week, freeski qualifying on February 4, snowboard on February 5 and the final for both disciplines on February 6.

VIS Snowboarder Scotty James has become the only man to win four straight X-Games halfpipe gold medals, winning his seventh career X-Games gold medal under lights in Aspen, USA, surpassing the legendary Shaun White after commanding playoff and final round performances.
 
James now has won an incredible ten career medals in the prestigious invitation only event featuring the world’s best halfpipe riders, equalling White’s halfpipe total.
 
In a flawless performance, James won the playoff round to advance to the top-four final with a score of 93 points.
 
In the best of two-run final, James went even better scoring a huge 96.33 points on his first run which included his signature switch McTwist first hit, cab triple cork 1440, frontside 1260, backside 1080 and switch back 1200.
 
With no rider able to match James, he was able to complete a “victory lap” in the second and final run celebrating on his way down the Aspen superpipe.
 
Joining James on the podium were Japanese riders Yuto Totsuka in second with a best score of 93.66 points, with Ayumu Hirano in third on 92.33.
 
“Just winning a gold medal is amazing here at X-Games, and to do four in a row, I am absolutely speechless” said the 30-year-old from Warrandyte in Victoria.
 
“The triple cork is the one, it’s the trick I feel you have to have in the mix to have any intention of making any damage on the podium, so to put it in my run and do it switch and try and put in my own flare at the start to feels good for the soul.”
 
James will remain in Aspen for a World Cup competition this week, with the halfpipe event on February 1.

Snowboarder Scotty James has produced one of the best runs of his impressive career, to claim the gold medal at the Laax Open in Switzerland, the tenth World Cup victory of his career and fourth win at the prestigious Swiss event.
 
In the best of two run night final, the two-time Olympic medallist opened with a score of 88.75 points, then stepped it up in the final run to put down a spectacular performance that included a massive switch frontside triple cork 1440 on his way to a huge score of 95.75.
 
James took the win ahead of Japanese rider Ruka Hirano’s score of 93.75, while compatriot and reigning Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano was third with 87.00 points.
 
“I think it might be one of the best moments of my competitive career” said the 30-year-old VIS athlete from Warrandyte in Victoria.
 
“It’s always challenging to win, but this year I feel like I have been put on the ropes quite a bit from the other competitors, especially the Japanese, they are riding incredible.
 
“Not for a second did I think it was a done deal until the last rider went because any rider could have won.
 
“It’s always been a super important detail for me to spin in every direction, and try and keep a bit of soul in there with the switch McTwist at the start before it gets into a lot of spinning, really happy to get the triple in there this year as well which was a big goal of mine.
 
“It’s one of the best pipes in the world, there are no excuses but to go 110% on this thing, so you’ve got to bring your best if you want to stand on top, or even on the podium for that matter.”
 
The victory puts James move into equal first place on the World Cup standings alongside Yuto Totsuka of Japan on 230 points.
 
Competing in the women’s event for Australia was two-time Olympian Emily Arthur, who finished in 24th place.
 
American riders took the top two places in the women’s final with two-time Olympic gold medallist Chloe Kim victorious ahead of Maddie Mastro in second and Gaon Choi of Korea in third.
 
James will now head to Aspen, USA, to compete in the X-Games on January 23, where he will be aiming to win an incredible fourth straight and seventh career X-Games gold medal.

VIS two-time Olympic Medallist Scotty James has narrowly missed the podium at the World Cup event in Copper Mountain, USA, finishing in fourth place, after the top-four finishers recorded their best score of the day in the final run in a dramatic final run (of three) shoot out.
 
The 30-year-old from Warrandyte in Victoria started well, qualifying for finals in second place.
 
In finals, James scored 87.75 in his first run, had a fall in his second run and put down a great final run, unlucky to miss the podium with a score of 92.75 points for the judges.
 
Japanese riders clean swept the podium with 2022 Olympic gold medallist Ayumu Hirano first on 97 points, Yuto Totsuka second with 94.75 and Ruka Hirano in third place on 92.75.
 
After two events, James is ranked third on the World Cup standings.
 
In the women’s event Emily Arthur was Australia’s highest place finisher in 23rd with Misaki Vaughan 24th and Amelie Haskell 35th in her World Cup debut.
 
The next event halfpipe event is in Laax, Switzerland, on January 18.

Scotty James up close in the men's snowboard halfpipe final
© fisparkandpipe

Scotty James has claimed silver in the opening FIS Snowboard World Cup Halfpipe event of the season at Secret Garden, China, giving the 30-year-old from Warrandyte in Victoria the 16th World Cup medal of his decorated career.

Competing on the Beijing 2022 site where James won the second Olympic medal of his career, the VIS rider qualified for finals in third place.

Under sunny skies in the best of three run final, the triple World Champion was unable to put a clean run down in his first two runs, but saved his best for last, with a spectacular final run which included a cab triple cork 1440, scoring 88.25 points from the judges to move into second place.

Taking the win with the two highest scoring runs of the event was Japanese rider Yuto Totsuka of Japan with a best score of 95.50 in his last run, with another Japanese rider Ryusei Yamada in third on 87.75.

Competing for Australia in the women’s event was Misaki Vaughan, who finished in 23rd place in her World Cup debut.

American Maddie Mastro was victorious in the women’s final ahead of Xuetong Cai of China in second with another American Madeline Schaffrick rounding out the podium in third.

Copper Mountain in Colorado, USA, will host the next FIS World Cup halfpipe event on December 20.

Scotty James has joined legendary snowboarder Shaun White as the only men to win three straight X-Games halfpipe gold medals, after winning his sixth career X-Games gold medal under lights in Aspen, USA.

James has now won an incredible six X-Games golds and has nine career medals in the prestigious invitation only event featuring the world’s best halfpipe riders.

In the best of three fun final, James lead from start to finish, with the highest scoring opening round run with a score of 88 points, and then increased his jump package in the second run with a switch-back-1260 on the final hit to boost his score and receive 93 points from the judges.

With no rider able to match James, he was able to complete a “victory lap” in the third and final run celebrating on his way down the Aspen superpipe.

Joining James on the podium were Japanese riders Ruka Hirano in second with a best score of 87, with Kaishu Hirano in third on 86.33 points.

“Thank you Aspen, absolutely amazing event, it was so great to ride in front of everyone tonight,” said the 29-year-old from Warrandyte in Victoria.

“I am really stoked, and I just feel like a little kid again riding, and that’s showing though which has been really fun, and I am enjoying snowboarding so much.”

“To join that record with Shaun is pretty nice.”

In the women's event NSWIS rider Emily Arthur made her X-Games debut finishing in seventh place.

Unfortunately snowboard teen sensation Valentino Gueli and 2022 Olympic medallist Tess Coady who won their first career medals at the X-Games last year, were both unable to compete after sustaining an injury in training.

In a historic night for Australian snowboarding, Scotty James and Valentino Guseli have claimed gold and silver in the halfpipe event in Laax, Switzerland, the first time Australia has taken out the top two spots in the sport.

In a spectacular final under lights, both James and Guseli put down two great runs with both riders displaying huge amplitude, style and super difficult tricks.

James best score in the two run-final came in his first run, where the VIS rider scored 94 points to record the ninth World Cup win of his impressive career and third victory in the Laax halfpipe.

NSWIS rider Guseli scored 90 points on his first run, and then in the final round stepped it up performing a trick that had never been landed in competition, landing a frontside 1620 tailgrab to score 92.25 points and finish in second place.

Rounding out the podium was Ruka Hirano of Japan who registered 90 points on his final run.

“I feel pretty damm good, it’s tough to win this event so tonight I had to bring my best and it feels amazing to stand on top of the podium” said James the two-time Olympic medallist and triple World Champion from Warrandyte in Victoria.

“Laax feels like a home away from home, it’s always such an incredible the event, the fans and the crowd and the atmosphere is always really special here and unmatched.”

James on his impressive switch McTwist pullback to regular jump.

“It’s something I brought in this year, and I really try to push creativity and technicality in snowboarding, and of course you can’t really do these things without a lot of amplitude and execution, so tonight it was thankfully a combination of all those things which is really nice.”

For Guseli, the podium performance is the seventh World Cup medal of his career, and first in the Laax halfpipe. “To get to the bottom of two runs and having stomped them both, and I think they are some of the best runs I have done, so I am really happy and stoked to have some momentum rolling into the season,” said the 18-year-old teen snowboard prodigy from Dalmeny on the NSW South Coast.

“He (Scotty James) is amazing, coming from Australia we actually don’t have a 22-foot halfpipe anywhere in the whole country, and it’s pretty crazy being second to one of the guys that is the best to ever do it and we are both from the same country and can hold our flag up really high which is a beautiful thing.”

In the women's event two-time Olympian Emily Arthur finished in 20th place.

James and Guseli have now travelled to Aspen, USA, for the X-Games on January 26.

NSWIS snowboard super teen Valentino Guseli has narrowly missed out on the podium at the World Cup snowboard halfpipe event in Copper Mountain, USA, finishing in fourth place.

Competing in his first halfpipe event of the season, the 18-year-old qualified for the final in equal first place, after scoring 95.25 points in heat two.

VIS three-time World Champion Scotty James also qualified for the final in first place, scoring a massive 95.50 in heat one.

In the best of three run final, many riders struggled to put runs down without errors, but in the third round several competitors rose to the occasion and put down clean runs.

Guseli was unlucky not to land on the podium after an impressive final run, receiving a score of 77.25 points from the judges missing the podium by just 0.75 points.

In first place was 2022 Olympic Champion Ayumu Hirano of Japan who scored 91 points, with Korean Chaeun Lee in second with 80 points and rounding out the podium in third was Yuto Totsuka on 78 points.

Scotty James had a rare bad final, unable to put a clean run down, finishing in ninth place.

In the women’s event, two-time NSWIS Olympian Emily Arthur just missed the eight-woman final finishing in ninth place.

Scotty James has started the season in the best possible way, taking home a gold medal in the opening snowboard halfpipe World Cup in Secret, Garden, China, his eighth career World Cup win, and the third most by any male snowboard halfpipe rider.
 
Competing on the 2022 Olympic course where he claimed the silver medal, James led all qualifiers, and came out firing in the first round of finals scoring 91.25 points from the judges to put him in first place.
 
All riders had three runs in finals, and none came close to James first run score, ensuring the 29-year-old from Warrandyte could perform a “victory lap” on his final run, knowing his score could not be bettered as the final competitor.
 
Behind James on the podium was Japanese rider Ruka Hirano with a best score of 88.25 points, and rounding out the podium in third was Korean Chaeun Lee with 87.50.
 
“Feels like a bit of redemption for sure from the Olympic Games, but I have always had a good time in Secret Garden and the halfpipe is incredible and honestly today was as heavy as a show as the Olympics” said the two-time Olympic medallist and triple World Champion.
 
“Everyone really brought it and I had to bring my best, really awesome to share the podium with these boys and it’s been a fine day for sure.”
 
“I came unstuck last season at the World Championships which was frustrating, and funnily enough the frontside 1400 that I landed today was a bit of a testament for me, as that was what I crashed at my last event, so I wanted to come out and land it today and put that run together, it felt really nice and super happy overall.”
 
James will next be in action competing at the World Cup event in Copper Mountain, USA, next weekend on December 16.
 
Australia’s teen snowboard sensation Valentino Guseli did not compete in the halfpipe in China as the event clashed with the big air snowboard city event this weekend in Edmonton, Canada, where Guseli will be aiming to repeat his victory from last year at the Canadian city venue.

The FIS Snowboard & Freeski Park & Pipe World Cup tour commenced last month in Chur, Switzerland, with a big air event taking place.

China will host a big air World Cup in Beijing this weekend, and then a halfpipe World Cup event at the 2022 Olympic venue the following weekend in Secret Garden.

Teen sensation and reigning big air World Cup champion Valentino Guseli will no doubt feature strongly in China, after qualifying for finals in second place at the opening World Cup in Chur, finishing seventh in the final.

"It's very cool to be back, I had a great time here my first time in this country for the Olympics, and now here for another great time" said Guseli.

"Training has gone great so far, the jump is super nice and I'm ready to go ham. My goals for the rest of the season are nothing short of winning everything. Either way, I am definitely going to give it my all."

Tess Coady will be competing in her first big air event since claiming bronze at the 2023 World Championships.

"Super great to be back in China. Definitely a different vibe to last time we were here, It’s really nice to be back with the snowboard crew all just staying in the same hotel, vibing, shredding, so it’s good," said Coady.

"Training has been going well so far. We just had our first practice day and the jump is riding really well, so we will see how the next few days unfold, the team is looking solid."

"I’m looking forward to spending some time on this jump, and in the air and getting back into the contest season."
Also in the men’s event will be Snow Australia rider Joshua Robertson-Hahn, competing in the second World Cup of his career.

Freeski will also be in action in Beijing, with Kai Martin the sole Australian representative in big air.

Snowboard Halfpipe
The following weekend in China will see the first FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup of the year take place in Secret Garden, with two-time Olympic Medallist and triple World Champion Scotty James the lone Australian in action. The Secret Garden resort was the location for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games where James took home the silver medal in an epic Olympic halfpipe final.

Halfpipe qualifying in Secret Garden is on December 6th with the final two days later on December 8th.

Valentino Guseli will not be able to compete in the halfpipe event in China, as another big air World Cup is scheduled at the same time in Edmonton, Canada, where Guseli claimed the first world Cup victory of his career 12 months ago.

Teen snowboard prodigy Valentino Guseli has claimed the silver medal in an incredible halfpipe performance at Bakuriani, Georgia, taking home his first ever World Championship medal.
 
After battling injury all week which forced Guseli to miss the slopestyle and big air events, the 17-year-old pushed on to win Australia’s fifth medal at the World Championships.
 
In the best of three run final, Guseli fell on his first run, but improved to score 83.25 points on his second run, then stepped it up in the final run adding a cab-triple-1440 to score a huge 93 points, narrowly missing victory by just half a point to fellow teenager Chaeun Lee of Korea. Rounding out the podium in third place was Swiss rider Jan Scherrer with 89.25.
 
Three-time World Champion and two-time Olympic medallist Scotty James just missed recording his fifth career World Championship medal , finishing in fifth place with his best score of 86.50 points coming in his second run.
 
“I am pretty stoked, considering that a week ago I was crawling around my apartment not sure if I was going to be able to do anything here, I am really happy,” said Guseli who hails from Dalmeny on the NSW South Coast.
 
“The cab-triple-1440 was a trick I learnt in November, and I have been struggling a little bit with it all year, I perfected it a week before coming here training in Laax, Switzerland, landing five in a row and felt really comfortable with them.”
 
“All of my success this year has been a process, I obviously wanted that the first year I was at World Cup riding at this level three years ago, but it’s been a process figuring everything out and happy to be finally trying to match it with the best in the world.”
 
“I grew up watching Scotty James, and now to be almost at a level where kids look up to me the same is pretty amazing.”
 
“If you want it enough you will make it happen, it’s all heart, put your heart into it and you will get it.”
 
The final event at the World Championships is scheduled to take place on Sunday, with Tess Coady representing Australia in the big air final.

Australian athletes have had a record day at the winter X-Games in Aspen, USA, featuring a first ever double medal performance in the halfpipe with Scotty James claiming his sixth X-Games victory together with super teen Valentino Guseli in bronze and his first X-Games podium. Tess Coady also claimed her first X-Games hardware with silver in the ladies snowboard slopestyle.

In snowy conditions in front of a huge crowd at the Aspen halfpipe, VIS athlete James was again the dominant rider, with two outstanding runs giving him back-to-back victories at the event. With victory secure, James could perform a “victory lap” on his third and final run, high fiving the crowd on his way down. Only the legendary Shaun White has more X-Games halfpipe titles with eight.

NSWIS teen snowboarding prodigy Valentino Guseli was also impressive with his maiden podium performance at the X-Games, with a spectacular third and final run to put him into second place. Swiss rider Jan Scherrer just managed to relegate Guseli into third place on his final run.

“This feels amazing, it’s hard to put into words how excited I am,” James said after his run.

“It was pretty challenging conditions to say the least as it was dumping so much, but I feel really happy to be riding with everyone and seeing how all adapted to the conditions.”

SLOPESTYLE SILVER FOR COADY
In the slopestyle event, 2022 Olympic bronze medallist Coady had her best result of the season to claim her first ever medal at the X-Games, and be the first Australian snowboard slopestyle medallist finishing in second place.

The NSWIS rider moved into first place in her third and final run, and was unlucky to not take the win, with the judges awarding first place to Olympic Champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott on the last run of the day. Rounding out the podium was Kokomo Murase of Japan in third.

The following day Coady was back in action competing in the big air event, where she finished in eighth place.

It was an impressive showing for Australian snowboard athletes in the halfpipe in Laax, Switzerland, with three top-6 performances, led by VIS rider Scotty James who claimed the 12th World Cup podium performance of his career.

Poor visibility in Laax resulted in the night-time final being cancelled, with results from the qualification round used to determine the final placings.Heading into the event wearing the yellow leaders bib as the number one ranked rider,
James was again impressive with two high quality runs in qualifying, with his highest scoring run coming in run two, with a huge score of 95 points. Finishing just ahead of James by just 0.25 points in first place was Ruka Hirano from Japan, with his teammate Yuto Totskua rounding out the podium in third scoring 91.50.

NSWIS teenage sensation Valentino Guseli was close to securing his first ever halfpipe podium, finishing in fourth place. Showing his incredible versatility as a snowboarder, Guseli also just missed the slopestyle podium finishing in fifth place over the weekend.

After two events, James is sitting comfortably in first place on the World Cup standings retaining the yellow bib on 180 points, 64 points clear of Swiss rider Jan Scherrer in second place. After his best ever World Cup halfpipe result, 17-year-old Guseli moves up to fourth on the rankings.

In the women’s halfpipe event, two-time NSWIS Olympian Emily Arthur also had an equal personal best World Cup finish of sixth place.

“The halfpipe was amazing as always, but unfortunately with the weather we weren’t able to compete in the end, which was a bit of a shame,” said James after the awards ceremony.

“It’s always amazing to ride here in Laax in front of this crowd. For me on the podium it’s a little bit bittersweet, because I would have loved to have rode tonight but I’m also happy to be able to come away with second place.”

“We had a discussion between the riders about what we wanted to do,” James continued, “And we mutually decided to give it one more try, which we did, but unfortunately the weather came back in again and they had to cancel it.”

James and Guseli will next be in action in the halfpipe at the X-Games in Aspen, USA, on January 27.

Scotty James has made an incredible start to the season, performing one of the finest runs in halfpipe history to score an amazing 99.00 points from the judges to win gold at the World Cup event in Copper Mountain, USA.

The two-time Olympic medallist three-time World Champion had the two highest scoring runs of the day, posting a 97 point first run, and went even better in run two with a massive score of 99 from the judges. With the win guaranteed, James performed a victory lap for his third and final run, high fiving the crowd on his way down the halfpipe to the finish line.

James’ run included a switch McTwist to start, followed by a cab double cork 1440, frontside 1080, cab 900 and switch backside double cork 1260 to finish, giving James the seventh World Cup victory of his career.

“Definitely the highest score I have ever gotten in my life, and I am not going to lie, it might be one of the most satisfying runs I have ever done” said the VIS athlete.

“We worked pretty hard on the switch McTwist and I have to say I felt like I got some soul back. The progression is so rapid these days, and I am really happy to be a part of that, but I also thought that I wanted to make some new additions with some creativity, and as we say as snowboarders get the soul.”

Behind James on the podium was Swiss rider Jan Scherrer with a best run of 96.25 points and Kaishu Hirano of Japan in third with a score of 88.25.

Australian teen sensation Valentino Guseli who won his first ever World Cup event last week in big air, made a strong start in his first halfpipe event of the season qualifying for finals in second place, but had to settle for seventh in the final with his best score of 82.50 coming in his first run.

GUSELI JUST MISSES BIG AIR FINAL
Guseli had a busy week in Copper Mountain, with the NSWIS rider also taking part in the big air event.

Drawn in heat one with the top-five riders advancing to finals, Guesli just fell short placing sixth, and an overall ranking of 11th.

A big air event is scheduled to take place on January 14 in Kreischberg, Austria, which will see Olympic bronze medallist Tess Coady making her season debut with Guseli also likely to compete.

The following week the popular Laax Open takes place on January 18-21, with a World Cup slopestyle and halfpipe event in the Swiss resort.

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