Four-time snowboard world champion Scotty James claimed a record-extending fifth halfpipe victory at the Laax Open in Switzerland on Saturday (17 January).
The Australian icon already boasted the record for the most Halfpipe World Cup victories by a snowboarder at the same event, with his fourth from a year ago at the same venue.
Competing in only his second World Cup of the season, James was looking for a statement performance as the days tick down to Milano Cortina 2026, where he is aming to finally get his hands on Olympic gold*. The 31-year-old has come painstakingly close to the top step on the podium after winning silver in Beijing 2022 after bronze in PyeongChang 2018.
James spearheaded a star-studded 12-man field in the Swiss ski resort after topping the semi-finals with a stunning second-run score of 95.75.
The last to drop into the pipe, James had to beat a score of 80.25 by compatriot Valentino Guseli to claim the top spot after the first run. He did just that with an impressive set of tricks, receiving a relatively modest score of 84 from the judges to take the lead.
The competition turned into a battle of the Antipodeans, with James, Guseli, and New Zealand’s Campbell Melville Ives taking turns at the top of the standings.
Melville Ives produced a spectacular second run, briefly relegating James into second place with a score of 91.00.
But James would not be denied as he threw down one of the best runs of his career, unleashing a triple cork 1414 for his penultimate trick. James came painstakingly close to a perfect score, with the judges giving him a 98.75.
Melville Ives finished second with Guseli taking third for an Australia-New Zealand-Australia podium.
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes’ participation at the Milano Cortina Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Milano Cortina 2026.