Sawt Falasteen - Australian snowboarder James eyes elusive Olympic gold

James won bronze in the halfpipe competition at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and followed up with silver in Beijing four years later.

And the 2026 X Games champion said he is feeling confident he can end his hoodoo on the slopes of Livigno after an "awesome lead-in" to the Olympics.

"No one thought back-to-back backside 1440s was possible," he said on Saturday. "I'm 31 years old and I did it. So I don't think an Olympic gold medal is unattainable.

"I look after myself, I take care of myself mentally, physically. I love what I do every single day and this is not my last go around either.

"So yeah, I think it's possible to win."

James, who made his Olympic debut as a 15-year-old at the 2010 Vancouver Games, does not feel a gold medal would define him.

"Winning an Olympics would be amazing but I don't think I need it to validate who I am as a snowboarder," he said.

"I'm doing that just by the way I ride my board, and how I interpret riding myself is validating, regardless if I get a medal or not."

Scott is being supported in Livigno by his family, including baby son Leo.

"The most satisfying thing is doing it with my son with me, which is pretty amazing. Being a snowboarder in such a risky sport, naturally when we were thinking about having kids, I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, because you've got a lot more to live for now.

"Does that make me more scared to go out and try things that I need to do to win? I thought about that when we were having Leo, but it's been an amazing blessing."

The men's halfpipe competition starts on February 11.

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST