Scotty James makes history with silver, becomes Australia’s most decorated Winter Olympian
Five-time Olympian Scotty James completed another Olympic podium finish with a silver medal in the men’s snowboard halfpipe final in Italy. The result gave him three Winter Olympic medals in three Games, bronze at PyeongChang 2018, silver at Beijing 2022 and silver at Milan-Cortina 2026, becoming the first Australian Winter Olympian to reach this milestone.
His success placed him at the top of the country’s winter sports record books, surpassing all previous Australian Winter Olympians in medal count.
James reflected on the moment after his last medal: “To be the most decorated Australian Winter Olympian is amazing… to have done it for so many years, it’s incredibly difficult.”
The result also contributed to what officials described as one of the most successful days in Australia’s Winter Olympics history.
James’ historic medal followed a dramatic men’s halfpipe final that has been described as one of the most competitive finals in Olympic history. He produced a remarkable second run with 93.5 points but fell to his final trick in pursuit of gold, ultimately finishing second behind Japan’s Yuto Totsuka.
This claimed his second consecutive Olympic silver medal in the event and cemented his status as one of the world’s most consistent halfpipe riders. At age 31 and competing in his fifth Olympics, James has demonstrated remarkable longevity in a sport dominated by younger athletes.
James’ Olympic journey spans more than 15 years. At just 15 years old, he participated in the Vancouver 2010 Games and became Australia’s youngest male Winter Olympian, a record he still holds.
His career since then has been defined by sustained excellence, including a four-time FIS World Champion in the halfpipe and seven halfpipe gold medals at the X Games.
In recent seasons, it has won important events such as the Laax Open, X Games and the World Championship in the same season, underlining its peak performance that continues until the 2026 Games.
