Japan's Kaishu Hirano claimed men's halfpipe bronze, while fellow Olympian and compatriot Mitsuki Ono finished third among the women in the opening round of the snowboarding World Cup in Colorado on Friday.
Beijing Winter Olympic silver medalist Scotty James topped the men's field at the Copper Mountain resort, scoring 99.00 with a flawless second run. The Australian beat Switzerland's Jan Scherrer by 2.75 while Hirano secured bronze with an opening run of 88.25 before falling on his second and third attempts.
"I went for tricks with a high degree of difficulty on the first run, like at the Olympics. I was relieved to pull it off, but on the other hand, it was frustrating to fall on the second and third runs," said Hirano, who finished ninth in the Beijing Olympic competition won by his older brother Ayumu.
Ono's opening run was also her best, with the 18-year-old scoring 85.00 for bronze. Beijing silver medalist Queralt Castellet of Spain topped the podium with 89.75, beating Canadian Elizabeth Hosking by a point.
"I was happy that I could calm down after the opening run and express myself cleanly," said Ono, who finished ninth in Beijing. "I'm happy with third place but still a little disappointed. I want to win this year."
Japan's Ruki Tomita finished just outside the medals at Copper Mountain, scoring 76.75 for fourth.
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