The Uninvited Japan Open Recap
The Uninvited lands in Japan: A new legacy begins. (February 6 to
Under the lights of a packed Livigno Snow Park on a crisp Friday night, Japan’s Yuto Totsuka delivered the kind of performance that shifts a career into the stratosphere, and rewrote the story of the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
In an electric final that saw NBDs, amplitude, trick difficulty and precision pushed to the limit, Totsuka soared above one of the most competitive fields in recent memory to claim Olympic gold.
Totsuka’s winning run was a masterclass in modern halfpipe snowboarding It was a night filled with competition-first tricks and combinations, from Chaeun Lee’s switch frontside triple cork 1620 to Ayumu Hirano’s frontside double cork 1620 double tail grab, with even those tricks in landed runs not making it onto the podium.
Totsuka’s winning came on his second attempt, where he led off with a massive switch frontside triple cork 1440 drunk driver, into an equally large frontside triple cork 1440 truck driver, and then a switch backside double alley-oop rodeo 900 stalefish, to a switch backside double cork 1080 Japan, and finally capped it all off with a backside double cork 1260 mute.
For Totsuka, 24, it was a long-awaited breakthrough, his first Olympic medal and the highest honour in his sport. The performance capped a season in which he’d already shown serious form on the World Cup circuit, topping the standings and racking up podiums against the world’s best.
James, now 31 and competing in his fifth Winter Games, added a second consecutive Olympic silver to his résumé. Despite a fall on his final trick, a high-risk backside 1620, his campaign was a showcase of the level of riding that has kept him among snowboarding’s elite for more than a decade.
Joining the two leaders on the podium was Totsuka’s compatriot Ryusei Yamada, who delivered consistently high scores throughout the final to secure bronze, giving Japan two medals on the night and underlining the depth of its halfpipe program.
“It was one of the highest calibre competitions I’ve been a part of.”
Totsuka said after his run, reflecting on the intensity of the field and the quality of riding on display.
For James, the silver, while another near-miss in the quest for Olympic gold, was still a testament to longevity and competitive grit. Even after an emotional setback in his final run, he acknowledged the fierce competition and hinted at future goals.
The Uninvited lands in Japan: A new legacy begins. (February 6 to
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