Australia dominate snowboard halfpipe as Scotty James wins final World Cup before Olympics

• Valentino Guseli takes bronze and NZ’s Campbell Melville Ives silver

• More medals in bobsleigh and snowboard cross ahead of Milan-Cortina Games

Snowboard king Scotty James has dazzled to reign supreme in the last World Cup halfpipe event before the Olympics, where he’ll be seeking an elusive gold medal.

On a big day for Australia’s Olympic hopes, James sent a clear message to rivals as he won the prestigious Laax Open in Switzerland for a third consecutive time and fifth time in total, while young countryman Valentino Guseli was third.