David Kratochvil opens new chapter at Laureus – and hopes to meet Duplantis

David Kratochvil is opening a new chapter for Czech sport on the global stage. The Para swimmer will be in the Spanish capital Madrid this month as the first‑ever Para athlete from Czechia to be shortlisted for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

The 18‑year‑old becomes only the third Czech – and the first male – athlete in history to receive a Laureus nomination, following tennis player Marketa Vondrousova and Olympic snowboard and alpine skiing champion Ester Ledecka.

“It is an incredible surprise for me. I never expected that this nomination could ever happen,” said the vision-impaired swimmer. “I think it is also an amazing achievement for the Czech Republic, because I am the third athlete from our country to receive a nomination.”

Kratochvil has been shortlisted for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award after a season that established him as one of Para swimming’s rising talents. 

“At the World Para Swimming Championships, Kratochvil medalled in every event in which he competed, leaving Singapore with four golds, a silver, two bronzes and one world record – the 400m freestyle S11, a mark that had stood for 33 years. He is also world freestyle champion over 50m and 200m as well in the 100m butterfly. After 400m freestyle gold in Paris and at the 2023 World Championships, this was Kratochvil’s first multi-gold major championships,” reads the Laureus nominees’ announcement.

A passionate sports fan, Kratochvíl follows athletes across different disciplines – from athletics to Formula 1 racing – but one name stands above the rest: an athlete nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award and someone he hopes to meet in Madrid.

“I would most like to meet Armand Duplantis, because his performances are on a completely different level and I really admire him,” Kratochvil said about the Olympic pole vault star.

The Czech swimmer also hopes that his presence on the Laureus stage can resonate beyond the pool. 
“I am always happy when I can inspire someone or help motivate them to go after their goals,” he said.
For Kratochvil, Para sport is not defined by labels, but by the commitment behind every performance.
“It is a sport like any other, but here you can really see the effort and dedication that athletes put into their performances,” he said. 

At home, Kratochvil has already been on the pathway to stardom. This month, he received the award for Best Para Athlete of the Year from the Czech Paralympic Committee (NPC Czechia) – his third consecutive win, after being honoured in 2023 for his first Para swimming world title in Manchester and in 2024 for his three medals, including one gold, at the Paralympic Games in Paris.

“It was a wonderful year, I think it equalled 2024,” he said at the ceremony held in Prague. "For me, it was absolutely great, I enjoyed every race."

David Kratochvíl’s World @Para_swimming Championships in 2025 featured four gold medals, one silver, two bronzes and a world record 💪

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Nominee#Laureus26 | @Paralympics pic.twitter.com/xAqNzerNVS

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) March 17, 2026

At the Czech awards, Kratochvil outlined his competition priorities for the year: the Para Swimming World Series in Berlin in May, followed by the European Championships in Kocaeli in September. Swimming in Turkyie is nothing new for him, as last year, just two months before travelling to Singapore for the World Championships, Kratochvil was part of Czechia’s delegation at the European Para Youth Games in Istanbul – and added five gold medals to his collection.

But until then, he will also have to focus on his studies – as “turning 18 is terrible”, he joked in an interview with Czech media. 

“School is pretty easy now, but we'll see what the entrance exams are like. They'll definitely be hard. I'd like to study psychology,” he said. “[Maybe] psychotherapy, but more likely sports psychology. I've already experienced it as a patient, so I have both perspectives.”

The award winners will be selected by members of the Laureus World Sports Academy and revealed at a gala event at the Cibeles Palace in Madrid on Monday, 20 April.

Kratochvil Facts & Figures

Hometown: Tachov, Czechia

International debut: 2018, Para Swimming World Series in Berlin (Germany)

Paralympic medals:  Three (one gold, one silver and one bronze) at Paris 2024
World Championships title: five across three editions (Madeira 2022, Manchester 2023 and Singapore 2025)

Current world records: Five (men’s 100m freestyle S11, 400m freestyle S11, 50m backstroke S11, 200m backstroke S11 and 50m butterfly S11)

How much has life changed with his success? “People sometimes approach me on the street, recognize me, want to take pictures. But I hope I'm still the same, no one has told me that I've changed in any way. I can tell by myself that I'm more social, I'm more around people and I love company. That's probably the only change I noticed.”