Sunday, 19 January 2020:

Snowboarder SCOTTY JAMES..

Scotty James has extended his incredible winning streak to nine events, with the Australian halfpipe rider taking out the World Cup competition in Laax, Switzerland.

The three-time Winter Olympian made it three from three this season, laying down a marker of 95.75 points on his first run at the Swiss resort.

He wasn't headed and got to celebrate with a victory lap on his second go down the 'pipe, finishing ahead of Japanese rider Yuto Totsuka (92.25), with American Taylor Gold (87) third.

Finishing behind the sport's all-time great Shaun White and young Japanese star Ayumu Hirano at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018, James hasn't been off the top of the podium in a major meet since.

A red-hot favourite to win back-to-back superpipe golds at the X Games in Aspen starting this week, James's big challenge is expected to come when White and Hirano return from their competitive snowboarding hiatus.

The pair have sat out much of the last two seasons as they attempt to qualify for skateboarding at the Tokyo summer Olympics this year.

Three-time Winter Olympics gold medallist White, who may struggle to qualify in a strong US skateboarding team after finishing 13th at the September world championships, recently posted videos of his his return to snowboarding.

But he won't be competing in Aspen.

James, though, remains happy to keep racking up the wins with or without his main competition.

"It feels absolutely amazing," he said.

"I know coming into tonight it was going to be really tough, everyone was going to bring their A-game, but I was ready to go there."

AAP