Snowboard legend Scotty James pledges Olympic return after silver medal agony
Australian snowboarding great Scotty James has vowed to return for a remarkable sixth Olympic campaign after his high-stakes gamble for an elusive gold medal fell heartbreakingly short at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games. The emotional Victorian was left in tears after securing silver in the men's halfpipe, marking his second consecutive Olympic second-place finish.
A historic achievement tinged with disappointment
Despite the profound disappointment, James's podium performance cemented his status as Australia's most decorated Winter Olympian, now boasting three career medals. His silver medal achievement contributed to a historic day for Australian winter sports, following Josie Baff's gold medal victory in the snowboard cross event earlier in Livigno.
The raw emotion was palpable as James was comforted by Australian canoeing legend Jessica Fox during the medal presentation ceremony. The 31-year-old snowboarder later broke down during a press conference when questioned about his fundamental motivation, having previously declared Olympic gold as his "north star" leading into the Games.
"My 'why' would be I want to leave my footprint on the sport and the industry - that will be something I strive for every single day and what I get up for," James revealed through visible emotion. "The next 24 hours I'll probably have a bit of a cry, but I'll be happy as well because representing the country and winning a medal is unbelievable, and I'm really proud of that."
The daring final run that decided gold
James's relentless pursuit of a definitive victory ultimately proved his undoing in the dramatic final. Entering as the last competitor in the halfpipe, he needed to surpass his second-run score of 93.50 after an initial fall had yielded only 48.75 points on his opening attempt.
The Australian had already secured the silver medal with his second descent, which featured an unprecedented switch backside 1440 directly into a backside 1440 combination - a sequence no other rider has ever completed in competition. Rather than refining this already medal-winning run, James opted for an audacious new trick: a backside double-cork 1620, attempted for the first time in competitive settings.
The high-risk maneuver resulted in another fall, handing the gold medal to Japan's world number one Yuto Totsuka, who posted a dominant 95.00 on his second run. Japanese teammate Ryusei Yamada claimed bronze with a score of 92.00.
"Potentially I could have done it with a 14, but for myself, I had to do the 16," James explained without regret. "I wanted to push it and that's what I was here to do regardless of the result."
Looking ahead to 2030 with renewed determination
The competitive fire continues to burn brightly for James, who humorously promised to linger "like a bad smell" until the next Winter Olympics in France in 2030.
"I'm going to be that bad smell for four years - I hate losing, this has motivated me now," he declared with characteristic determination. "I look forward to many more battles in the halfpipe against the guys I was competing against tonight."
Australian teammate shows promising development
Fellow Australian competitor Valentino Guseli also experienced a challenging final in Livigno, crashing on his first two runs before demonstrating his considerable talent with an 88.00-point final descent that secured fifth place. The 20-year-old's performance represented a one-position improvement from his Beijing Olympics result, a particularly impressive achievement given his recovery from a ruptured ACL in December 2024.
"Well, on the first two runs I sucked, but I landed my last one and I got one place better than I did in the last Olympics, so we're going up, which is cool," Guseli reflected candidly. "I wanted to land that run that I did last perfectly on my first run and then keep upping it and I had some ideas of how I was going to do that. It didn't end up happening, and yeah, that's life."
James's emotional silver medal, while falling short of his golden ambition, has solidified his legendary status in Australian winter sports while simultaneously fueling his determination for another Olympic campaign. The snowboard champion's willingness to risk everything for gold on sport's biggest stage exemplifies the elite athletic mentality that has defined his remarkable career.
