Livigno, Italy, February 13, 2026: Japan’s Yuto Totsuka soared to men’s halfpipe gold at Milano Cortina 2026 on Friday evening – Japan’s third snowboarding gold medal of the Olympic Winter Games.
Totsuka, 24, topped a thrilling three-run final in Livigno with a best score of 95.00. Australian veteran Scotty James (93.50) took silver and fellow Japanese rider Ryusei Yamada (92.0) completed the podium.
In an incredibly competitive final, Totsuka delivered when it mattered most, posting a superb 95.00 on his second run — a score that would not be beaten. The Japanese rider backed up a strong, opening effort of 91.00 before opting not to improve on his leading mark in his final run.
He had already set the tone with 91.00 on run one, but run two was cleaner, bigger and more complete. Even without improving on his final attempt, that second run proved untouchable and delivered Totsuka his first Olympic medal at his third Games, while Japan retained the halfpipe title after Hirano Ayumu’s gold at Beijing 2022.
Japan has now won six medals in snowboarding at Milano Cortina 2026 – three gold, one silver and two bronze medals.