Borut Kralj (born April 22, 1980 in Kranj ) is a former Slovenian natural track toboggan runner , who mostly competed in a single-seater, but also in a double-seater. He started in the World Cup until 2007 and is the only one in his country to have won a World Cup race. In addition, with his sixth place at the 2003 World Cup in Železniki, he achieved the best result ever for a Slovenian at World or European Championships.
Borut Kralj took part in international junior championships from 1997 to 2000. He celebrated his greatest success when he first competed at the Junior World Championships in 1997 in Aosta , when he and Robi Kalisnik won the bronze medal in the doubles. This was the only medal so far at the Junior World and European Championships for Slovenia and Yugoslavia . Twice the Kalisnik / Kralj duo narrowly missed another medal when they finished fourth in the 1999 World Junior Championships and the 2000 European Junior Championships . In the single-seater, Kralj's best result was ninth place at the 1999 Junior World Championships in Hüttau . In title fights in the general class, he started only in single-seater and achieved 17th place at the 2000 World Championships in Olang and 16th at the 2001 World Championships in Stein an der Enns . Borut Kralj also initially only competed in the single-seater World Cup . After he had already contested several World Cup races in previous years and mostly achieved positions around 15th place, he started regularly in the World Cup from the 2000/2001 season . Also this winter he achieved positions around 15th and as the best result a 13th place in Moscow . In the overall World Cup, he even reached twelfth place and was the best Slovene immediately ahead of his teammates Gašper Benedik and Grega Spendov . He achieved similar results in the 2001/2002 season and again a 13th place, this time in Olang, was his best result. In the overall World Cup, however, he fell back to 17th place. At the 2002 European Championships in Frantschach-Sankt Gertraud , he finished 14th as the best Slovenian.
Borut Kralj showed a good performance at his home world championship in 2003 in Železniki . After he was still in fifth place in the first race, he was almost able to maintain this result on the final day and achieved sixth place after all three races. He achieved the best result to date that a Slovene or Yugoslav natural track tobogganist has ever achieved at world championships. Together with Bostjan Vizjak , with whom he had already participated in two World Cup races this season, he also started in the doubles, but fell out of the first round after a fall. Only one week later, Borut Kralj celebrated his greatest success in the World Cup finals of the 2002/2003 season in Olang. Kralj, who was fourth after the first of the two races, set the fastest time in the second race, overtaking everyone in front of him and completely unexpectedly winning the race. In the 63rd World Cup race in men's singles since the World Cup was introduced in winter 1992/1993, victory did not go to Italy or Austria for the first time , but to Slovenia for the only time so far. Even before the world championship, Kralj finished ninth in Hüttau for the first time in the top ten. Although he only contested three World Cup races in the single-seater in the 2002/2003 season, thanks to his victory he still achieved eleventh place overall and thus his personal best overall result.
Kralj could not repeat the results of the 2002/2003 season and there were no further top 10 results. In the 2003/2004 season he was among the fastest 15 in all five World Cup races in which he took part and achieved eleventh place at the finals in Aurach as the best result . He was twelfth in the overall World Cup and was the best Slovene in the overall standings for the third and last time. In the 2004/2005 season , however, he only took part in two World Cup races, in which his best result was a twelfth place in the World Cup final in Olang. At the 2004 European Championships in Hüttau, he finished in 19th place and at the 2005 World Championships in Latsch in 17th place. Here he also started in the team competition for the first time, but only came in ninth place together with Živa Janc and the doubles Mario Gortnar / Jure Potočnik ten teams. In winter 2005/2006 Borut Kralj took part in five of six World Cup races again, achieved two twelfth places as the best results at the opening race in Longiarü and at the final in Oberperfuss and was 14th overall. In his last season 2006/2007 , however, he only achieved placings around 20th place and was 19th in the overall World Cup. This winter he started again in the two-seater together with Žiga Pagon . They took part in all six World Cup races, but did not achieve any top positions. Their best result was a ninth place in the first race in Latsch and they came in twelfth overall. After Borut Kralj did not take part in the 2006 European Championships , the 2007 World Cup was his last major event. In the Canadian Grande Prairie , he finished 24th in the single-seater, but was disqualified in the double-seater with Žiga Pagon because the rails of their toboggan exceeded the maximum permitted temperature. The duo Kralj / Pagon also started in the team competition, but only came in eighth and last place together with the single-seaters Nina Bučinel and Miha Meglič . In 2007, Borut Kralj ended his international career, but has since started in national competitions.
Slovenia
