BRADFORD snowboarder Jamie Nicholls headed to the Winter Olympics in Sochi last year feeling unconvinced about whether he had a future in the sport.

A run to the slopestyle final and an avalanche of rave reviews later, the 21-year-old insists he has never felt more motivated as he prepares for another winter season assault.

Nicholls will join a host of fellow Sochi freestylers at the rather grandly titled World Freestyle and Snowboard Championships which begin in Kreischberg, Austria later this month.

In reality, the event – the first time freestyle and snowboard disciplines have been brought together at a world level – is a bit of a misnomer.

This is because it clashes with the prestigious X Games in Aspen where most big-name stars, including Britain's James Woods, will opt to compete.

But for Nicholls it represents another opportunity to get back on the slopes and rails and prove his proud performance in Sochi was the launchpad for a top-level career to come.

Nicholls said: "Going into the Olympics, I still didn't really know if it was for me or not. But everything that happened in Sochi gave me a massive confidence boost.

"It was easily the best event I've been involved in and it really opened a lot of doors for me.

"I didn't think it would end up in the media so much and it has led to extra funding opportunities and much more interest from the public."

Slopestyle's popularity in Sochi – and crucially the emergence of indoor snow-domes in Britain, which provide a path into the sport for inspired youngsters – prompted UK Sport to more than triple its funding award for the freestyle squad to almost £5million for the next Winter Olympic cycle.

"Pyeongchang is only three years away and I'll still be super-young and at my peak, so it is definitely an aim of mine to be there," said Nicholls.

"The British team is getting so much more respect now after Jenny Jones won her bronze medal – and for a nation with such a disadvantage because we don't have the big mountains or the perfect parks, we are doing incredibly well.

"It is harder for us but we make it happen. I took a nice long break after the Olympics and went to the Maldives on holiday.

"But I've got back in the gym and now I'm ready to make the most of the season, hopefully starting in Austria."