Livigno, Italy 每 Scotty James, the Australian snowboarder bidding to finally win gold in his fifth Olympics, nailed his first halfpipe run in qualifying ?on Wednesday to lead the field heading into the finals.

The 31-year-old James ?showcased soaring ?spins and smooth landings to earn a score of 94 ?in the first round of the night session in the Alpine town of Livigno.

James claimed halfpipe silver four years ago in Beijing and bronze in Pyeongchang ?in 2018.

※I wouldn＊t be honest if I said I wouldn＊t like to achieve the top ?spot,§ James said. ※I＊ll set myself up as best I can, get some rest tomorrow and get ready for Friday.§

Defending champion Ayumu Hirano of ?Japan also advanced to the medal round along with three of his teammates. Jan Scherrer of Switzerland, who took ?bronze in 2022, withdrew ?at the last minute.

In a video posted late Friday ?on Instagram, Scherrer said he slammed his head during a crash ?in practice ?just before the qualifiers started. He felt dizzy and his balance was off, and his doctor would not clear him to ride, he added.

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 6.7-meter, U-shaped ramp and perform acrobatic maneuvers 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.

The closest rivals to James were ?two Japanese riders, Yuto Totsuka, who scored 91.25, and Ryusei Yamada who scored 90.25.

※I think the difficulty level will keep increasing,§ Yamada said. ※I want to raise the difficulty even more in the final.§

Also among the 12 qualifiers was ?17-year-old American Alessandro Barbieri, who finished fourth.

※(This event is) one of the craziest I＊ve been a part of,§ he said. ※People are bringing their A-game.§ Earlier on Wednesday, American Chloe Kim led the riders who advanced to the women＊s halfpipe final on Thursday.