Olympics-Snowboard-Australia's James storms into halfpipe final in fight for first gold

By Lisa Richwine

LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Scotty James, the Australian snowboarder on a quest to finally win gold in his fifth Olympics, nailed his first halfpipe run in qualifying on Wednesday to lead the field heading to the finals.

The 31-year-old James showcased soaring spins and smooth landings that earned him a score of 94 in the first round of the night-time contest in the Alpine town of Livigno.

James earned a halfpipe silver four years ago in Beijing and bronze in PyeongChang in 2018.

Defending gold medallist Ayumu Hirano of Japan also advanced to the medal contest, which will take place on Friday, along with three of his teammates.

Jan Scherrer of Switzerland, who took bronze in 2022, was scheduled to compete but was scratched from the lineup at the last minute. A spokesperson for the Swiss team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A gold for James would make him Australia's most decorated Winter Olympian, eclipsing freestyle skier Dale Begg-Smith and women's snowboarder Torah Bright, who have each won gold and silver.

In the halfpipe, riders slide across a 22-foot-tall, U-shaped ramp and perform acrobatic manoeuvres in the air. Judges award points based on amplitude, variety, difficulty and other factors, with a maximum score of 100.

The qualifying event in Livigno was held in the evening with floodlights illuminating the course. Several riders showed off complicated tricks and posted high scores, setting up what is expected to be a hard-fought medal contest.

The closest competitors to James were two Japanese riders. Yuko Totsuka posted a 91.25 and Ryusei Yamada 90.25.

Others among 12 qualifiers included 17-year-old American Alessandro Barbieri, who was fourth.

Earlier on Wednesday, American Chloe Kim led the field of riders who advanced to the women's halfpipe final at the Milano Cortina Games on Thursday.