As the "worst skateboarder in the world" Scotty James is content to let his contemporaries chase their summer Olympic dreams while he targets becoming the best snowboarder in the world.
Australian James finished third in the halfpipe at last year's Winter Olympics behind all-time American great Shaun White and Japanese young gun Ayumu Hirano.
But that pair have ceded a significant advantage to James, taking time out of snowboarding in an attempt to qualify for the new Olympic sport of skateboarding at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
And James couldn't be happier.
"I think I've got a very good opportunity to get ahead of the curve for the next little while for sure," said James, who is preparing for next week's X Games in Aspen.
"It's one of the reasons why I am working so hard and not taking a step back just because those guys aren't here (competing in Aspen)."
While White in particular has had a distinguished skateboarding career that's included two summer X Games gold, James admits he's virtually clueless when it comes to the sport.
"I am the worst skater in the world," he said.
"I don't know why, but I've never been able to co-ordinate myself very well on a skateboard."
That has left the 24 year-old able to concentrate on what he does best.
It looks like it has paid off this northern hemisphere season, James already winning events in Copper Mountain, Colorado and Laax, Switzerland.
He's now eyeing off becoming Australia's most decorated winter X Games athlete with another halfpipe gold to go with the one from 2017 and minor medals from 2018 and 2016.
James will stay in North America after the X Games where he'll attempt to defend his back-to-back world championship titles in Park City next month as well as compete at the US Open where he was third in 2018.
His next key goal is at home where he is lobbying to get an Olympic standard superpipe built in the Victoria resort of Falls Creek in the next two years.
Australian Associated Press
