| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Tomáš Kraus at the 2010 Ski Cross World Cup in Les Contamines-Montjoie |
||
| Competitor for Czech Republic | ||
| Men's freestyle skiing | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2005 Ruka | Ski Cross |
| Gold | 2007 Madonna di Campiglio | Ski Cross |
Tomáš Kraus (born 3 March 1974) is a Czech sportsman who has specialized in both alpine skiing and freestyle skiing. His best results as an alpine skier was two 28th places at the 1997 and 2003 World Championships, but as a freestyle skier he is a double world champion and has twelve victories in World Cup races in the skicross discipline.
Kraus was born in Děčín.[1] His first FIS Race was a slalom competition in Bormio in December 1994, and he finished among the top thirty for the first time in January 1995, placing eleventh in Kranjska Gora. He subsequently progressed to finish seventh in Annaberg in February and third in Maribor in March. He competed at the 1997 World Championships, recording a 28th place in the slalom event. In February 1998 he won his first FIS Race, held in Soriška Planina, and he would accumulate a further nine victories until 2002. In 1999 he won a silver medal in slalom at the 1999 Winter Universiade, and competed at the 1999 World Championships without finishing any race. In the World Cup he made his debut in February 2000 in Todtnau, but failed to record a valid result. The same thing happened in his two other World Cup starts that season, as well as his three World Cup starts in 2003. His final international competition was the 2003 World Championships, where he recorded another 28th place in the slalom.[2]
Before retiring as an alpine skier, Kraus had already taken up skicross. He made his World Cup debut in November 2002 in Tignes, and won that race, but only competed in two more races that season. He opened the 2003–04 season with an eighth place in Saas-Fee, and recorded a fourth place from Pozza di Fassa in January as his best result. In the 2004–05 season he competed in six World Cup races, winning three of them; in Les Contamines, Pozza di Fassa and Kreischberg. At the end of the season he won the gold medal at the 2005 World Championships in Ruka.[1]
Kraus opened the 2005–06 season with a victory in Les Contamines, and followed up with victories in Kreischberg and Sierra Nevada. His worst result that season was a fourth place. He continued his form in the 2006–07 season. Albeit only competing three times, with two second places and one third place, he won another gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in Madonna di Campiglio. In 2007–08 he won four out of his first five races, his worst result being a fifth place. In 2008–09 he opened with two fifth places, but then won the race in Flaine in January.[1]
Kraus represents the sports club USK Praha. He has used Fischer skis during his freestyle career,[1] and Dynastar during his alpine career.[2]