(Photo credit score: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
LIVIGNO, Italy — Yuto Totsuka of Japan received the gold medal within the males’s snowboard halfpipe on the Winter Olympics on Friday in a hard-fought battle that ended with Australian Scotty James simply lacking out on the large prize that has eluded him by way of 5 Games.
James took the silver for the second time, and the bronze went to Totsuka’s compatriot Ryusei Yamada.
In the halfpipe, riders slide throughout a 22-foot-tall, U-shaped ramp and carry out acrobatic maneuvers within the air. Judges award factors based mostly on amplitude, selection, problem and different components, with a most rating of 100. The greatest rating out of three runs determines the winners.
Totsuka, a part of a powerhouse Japanese group, put up a excessive rating of 95 in his second run to guide the sphere throughout a nighttime occasion within the Alpine city of Livigno. Floodlights illuminated the course on a transparent night time, offering a putting backdrop for Totsuka’s high-flying spins. He and the opposite riders stepped up the complexity they’d displayed within the qualifying spherical two days earlier.
‘I’ve competed in lots of occasions earlier than, however at this time’s competitors was among the many highest caliber,’ the 24-year-old Totsuka mentioned.
James made his methods look easy at the beginning of his first run however ran out of room to land and skidded to a cease on the very finish. On his second run, he executed properly and shot as much as second place with a 93.50.
The 31-year-old practically put down a flawless effort to offer himself an opportunity on the gold, however he fell when making an attempt to finish the night time with a bottom 1620, a complicated trick with 4 and a half spins within the air. The transfer has by no means been efficiently carried out on the Olympics.
After he acquired up, James stood on the backside of the pipe on his board and hung his head. He cracked a slight smile on the rostrum and wiped his eyes together with his signature purple boxing-style gloves.
He advised reporters he felt a mixture of feelings, from frustration to pleasure.
‘I’m very proud as a result of whatever the shade of the medal, I acquired to return out and journey in one of many hardest-fought finals ever in my nation colours and symbolize Australia,’ he mentioned.
He added that he thought he would have prevailed if he had landed his remaining leap, and he was glad he tried it.
‘It’s OK, I can personal that,’ he mentioned.
James, Australia’s flag-bearer at Pyeongchang 2018, made no secret of wanting so as to add an Olympic gold to his medal assortment on the Milan Cortina Games. He took bronze on the Games in South Korea and silver in Beijing 4 years in the past, and has received practically each different main award in snowboarding.
Asked if he plans to compete on the subsequent Olympics, James mentioned ‘completely.’
‘I hate shedding, so this has motivated me now,’ he mentioned.
Among different riders, defending halfpipe champion Ayumu Hirano of Japan fell ahead in his first run and skidded on his abdomen. The 26-year-old returned with a powerful second run after which fell backward on his remaining try. He completed seventh.
Jan Scherrer of Switzerland, who took bronze in 2022, hit his head in follow earlier than the qualifiers and needed to withdraw.
On Thursday, South Korea’s Choi Ga-on received gold and denied American Chloe Kim a three-peat within the girls’s snowboard halfpipe.
–Reuters, particular to Field Level Media