Silver for Guseli in Sapporo

Courtesy FIS

Japan’s Yuto Totsuka and Mitsuki Ono claimed home halfpipe victories at the Sapporo Open on Sunday based on their dominant qualification performances, after the finals were cancelled due to heavy snow.

Australia’s Valentino Guseli was runner-up after posting his best score of 89.00 in Friday’s qualifications, while Milano Cortina 2026 bronze medallist Ryusei Yamada was third on 85.50 points.

The men’s podium in Sapporo bears some resemblance to the Milano Cortina 2026 men’s Halfpipe podium, which saw Totsuka in first place and Yamada third, separated by another Australian – reigning World Champion Scotty James.

Totsuka’s Sapporo victory is his second win of the 2025/26 FIS Park and Pipe World Cup season after he won the U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen’s Buttermilk resort in January.

The victory is also the 10th of Totsuka's career, as the 24-year-old becomes just the second rider in Halfpipe World Cup history to hit double digits in career wins after Scotty James. Totsuka now sits just one win back of the veteran Australian, who has 11 career World Cup triumphs.

Sunday’s win also extends Totsuka’s lead in the discipline standings to 396 points with a current total of four top-two finishes from six World Cup starts. He is trailed by Guseli on 350 points.