Scotty James marks gold with a trio of shoeys as Australia secures four medals at the World Championships.

Aussie snowboarding star Scotty James celebrated his latest gold medal by downing a shoey, saving some of the drink in his chilly boot for the silver and bronze medallists, after his impressive win in Switzerland over the weekend.

With his victory in St Moritz, James has solidified his status as the most accomplished snowboard halfpipe competitor in the history of the world championships, further establishing the Victorian as a formidable contender for Olympic gold, as the Milano-Cortina Winter Games draw less than a year away.

Australia walked away with four medals at the freeski and snowboard world championships held in St Moritz, with Mia Clifton and Cam Bolton earning silver in the mixed snowboard cross event, Matt Graham taking home bronze in the dual moguls, and Danielle Scott securing bronze in aerial skiing, alongside James’ triumph in the halfpipe.

James marked the two highest scores in a final that featured two runs, initially scoring 89.50 points and then achieving 95.00 points on his second attempt.

Japan’s Ruka Hirano claimed silver with a top score of 92.25, while compatriot Yuto Totsuka rounded out the podium with bronze, scoring a maximum of 92.00.

To cheers, laughter, and applause, James removed one of his boots on the podium, filled it with champagne, and took a celebratory swig.

The two-time Olympic medallist then raised the champagne bottle above Totsuka and Hirano, encouraging his Japanese competitors to partake in the tradition as they celebrated in the Engadine valley.

“Halfpipe is a daunting sport, and the challenges only amplify under tough conditions. I’m absolutely stoked and felt the need to show resilience today, so I’m thrilled,” James expressed.

“I honestly had no clue what to expect in terms of conditions. I knew it was going to be slow and that the pipe was packed with snow, potentially causing runs to be a bit toned down, but typically, once you find the better slip of the pipe and gain some momentum, you can start delivering solid runs.

“… Winning four world titles again, I can’t believe it.”

James secured a bronze medal at the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018 and followed it up with silver at the Beijing Games in 2022.

He’s now targeting that elusive Olympic gold medal in the Italian ski resort of Livigno, located near the Italian-Swiss border, in February next year.