Sawt Falasteen - Scotty James tops Olympic halfpipe qualifiers as he chases elusive gold

The Australian, who has been a dominant force in the event over the past decade, scored a whopping 94.00 points in his first run at Livigno Snow Park to seize control of the competition.

A clutch of four Japanese athletes were also among the 12 qualifiers for Friday's final under the lights in the Italian Alps, including reigning Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano.

Hirano, the Beijing 2022 champion who last month suffered a nasty crash at the World Cup in Laax, Switzerland, which resulted in multiple fractures, scored 85.50 on his second run, qualifying in seventh position.

Japan's Yuto Totsuka (91.25) also progressed along with teenage compatriot Ryusei Yamada and Ruka Hirano, with the better of two runs counting.

Australian veteran James made his Olympic debut as a 15-year-old at the 2010 Vancouver Games in an event won by US halfpipe great Shaun White.

He took bronze at Pyeongchang 2018 and silver in Beijing four years ago and is hoping to go one better at the Milan-Cortina Games.

James won his fifth consecutive X Games title last month, and eighth overall, and is a four-time world champion.

In the halfpipe, competitors perform a series of tricks while snowboarding down a slope with a semi-cylindrical shape. They are scored on the breadth and difficulty of the jumps.

I.Saadi--SF-PST