Snowboard veteran James targets 2030 Games after Olympic heartbreak
The 31-year-old took silver behind Japan's Yuto Totsuka under the lights at Livigno Snow Park, with a best score of 93.50 from his three runs -- 1.50 points behind Totsuka's winning mark.
Agonisingly, he fell at the end of his final run, when he believed the gold medal was within his grasp, burying his head in his hands in despair.
"I've got an Olympic medal, it's unbelievable," he said. "I'm very proud of that. But I think I can go to bed at night because I didn't win.
"I can chin that and it was mine to win there at the end and I couldn't land the run. And it is what it is."
The Australian, who has been a dominant force in halfpipe over the past decade, has still not topped the podium at the Olympics -- 16 years after he appeared at his first Games in Vancouver.
But an emotional James said he was not giving up, targeting the 2030 Winter Olympics in France.
"I'm going to be that bad smell for four years," he said. "I'm going to come back. I hate losing, so this has motivated me now.
"And I look forward to many more battles in the half-pipe with the guys that I was competing against tonight."
The silver medallist added: "I didn't start this because of potentially winning an Olympic medal or not. I did it because it's my passion in my life.
"And that doesn't change. I'll wake up tomorrow and I'll still be thinking about what I can do on my board and look forward to the next opportunity."
James was just 15 when he made his Olympic debut at the 2010 Vancouver Games, in an event won by US halfpipe great Shaun White. James won bronze in Pyeongchang in 2018 and silver in Beijing four years ago.
The four-time world champion came into the Milan-Cortina Games in top form after winning his fifth consecutive X Games title, and eighth overall, last month.
"I feel a bit numb, a bit emotionless," he said. "Honestly, I'm very proud because regardless of the colour of the medal, I got to come out and provide it in one of the hardest pipe finals ever in my country colours and represent Australia, which is an amazing thing regardless of the medals."