On a dramatic night at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, celebration and heartbreak collided for Australian snowboard legend Scotty James. He was chasing his first Olympic gold in the men’s snowboard halfpipe at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but in the end, a Japanese rider edged him out for gold while James settled for silver. James, now 31, has become the first Australian man to win three Winter Olympic medals. Yet in his post-competition interview, the silver felt bittersweet.

He admitted how badly he wanted gold and how emotional the moment became. “I’m sorry to everyone back home. I wanted to win it for Australia. It sounds silly to apologise for winning an Olympic medal, but I came here knowing what I wanted to achieve,” he said, holding back tears.

He also paid tribute to the team behind his journey and the sacrifices they made along the way. “With my team, because, you know, they live in this dream with me as well. They have families as well, like me. And they spend a lot of time away from their families, like me. And my why is to make, well, to do my best so that it makes it worth it,” he said, wiping away tears.

Scotty James continued, “Because, you know, I appreciate my team and how much time and effort they put into it. And I drag them away to live my dream with me, and they’re there with me 100% of the time. So my why is to go up there every day and try and deliver the best possible result that I can for us. Because it’s not just about me.”

All of that dedication came down to one final run and one risky move that changed everything.

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One fall costs Scotty James the top spot

James came agonizingly close to gold. On his final run, he attempted a backside double cork 1620 – a trick with more rotation than he had ever landed in Olympic competition in a bid to take the lead. He couldn’t stick the landing and crashed, meaning he could not improve his score. After completing the trick combination, he didn’t have enough room to absorb the landing properly, and the error occurred at the most critical moment of the final.

Earlier in the final, James had scored a low mark of 48.75 after a fall, which meant his second-run score of 93.50 stood as his best mark. That left him with only his second and third runs to try everything he had practiced, putting enormous pressure on each attempt.

In this brutally competitive sport, even a minor mistake proved costly. Totsuka won with a 95.00 on a superb second run, narrowly beating James’ 93.50. Ryusei Yamada claimed bronze with a score of 92.00.

Despite the fresh heartbreak, James now turns his focus to his family and future competitions, determined to continue his quest for Olympic gold. Three Olympic medals now sit in his cabinet, but the hunger for gold burns stronger than ever.