Snowboarder Scotty James has taken out his third consecutive World Championship title, setting down an early unbeatable run at Park City, Utah today.
A year to the day (AEDT) since James led the Australian team into the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, the Victorian blew his competition away to claim an unprecedented third straight title.
After winning gold in 2015 and 2017, today’s win cements James as the only man to claim three World Championships in the halfpipe.
During his first run, the PyeongChang bronze medallist scored a whopping 94.25, which remained unobtainable for his competitors throughout the finals, but not for James, with the triple Olympian going one better and putting down a jaw-dropping 97.50 in run three.
Japan’s Yuto Totsuka claimed silver with 92.25 and Patrick Burgener from Switzerland took the bronze at 91.25.
James commended the calibre of the competition and said winning his third World Championship title was a surreal experience.
“I was pinching myself when I won my second world title, and I’m triple pinching myself now that I’ve won my third one, it’s absolutely amazing,” the 24-year-old said.
“The level of riding was incredible, I was on my toes, I knew those last two guys behind me had a lot in them to pull it together so I just wanted to land that run and do it the way I wanted to, so I’m over the moon.”
Fellow Aussie and dual-Olympian Kent Callister finished in fifth place with a score of 79.00.
The win continues an incredible unbeaten season for James, which includes Gold at X Games and championships across Europe and North America.
The Australian team continues their World Championship run, headlined by Jakara Anthony and PyeongChang silver medallist Matt Graham taking on the moguls course, with qualifications this morning and finals from 1pm AEDT today.
