# Juri Kurakin

Juri Kurakin (born 3 August 1987) is a former competitive ice dancer who is best known for his partnership with Barbora Silná for Austria. Together, they won three Austrian national titles and reached the final segment at three ISU Championships. Earlier in his career, Kurakin competed for Estonia and Bulgaria.

## Personal life

Kurakin was born 3 August 1987 in Tallinn, Estonia. He is the younger brother of Dmitri Kurakin, an ice dancer who competed internationally for Estonia and Germany.

## Career
### Early career

Kurakin began learning to skate in 1992. Early in his career, he competed with Alexandra Baurina for Estonia.
In 2005, Kurakin began skating with Ina Demireva, with whom he represented Bulgaria. Initially coached by Oksana Potdykova, Demireva/Kurakin decided to train under Svetlana Alexeeva and Elena Kustarova in Moscow in the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons. They switched to Oleg Volkov and Alexander Zhulin for their final season together, 2008–09.

### Partnership with Silná

Kurakin teamed up with Czech-Austrian skater Barbora Silná in 2010. The two decided to represent Austria. In the 2010–11 season, they were coached by Dmitri Sildoja and Vitali Schulz in Dortmund and Vienna. The following season, training under Muriel Zazoui and Romain Haguenauer in Lyon and Graz, they won their first Austrian national title. During the next two seasons, they finished second to Kira Geil / Tobias Eisenbauer at the Austrian Championships. In the 2013–14 season, they switched to Barbara Fusar-Poli in Milan.
Having missed qualifying for the free dance at three ISU Championship, Silná/Kurakin were successful for the first time at the 2015 Europeans in Stockholm, where they finished 18th. At the 2015 Worlds in Shanghai, they ranked 21st in the short and did not advance further.
Stefano Caruso joined Fusar-Poli as the duo's coach in the 2015–16 season. Silná/Kurakin reached the final segment at the 2016 Europeans in Bratislava and at the 2016 Worlds in Boston, where they placed 17th and 20th, respectively. They announced their retirement on 3 August 2016 due to Silná's back problems.

## Programs
### With Silná

| Season | Short dance | Free dance |
| 2015–16 | Waltz & Polka: Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II | Lawrence of Arabia by Maurice Jarre |
| 2014–15 | Paso doble: España cañí by Pascual Marquina Narro | Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word by Elton John Funeral for a Friend Love Lies Bleeding by Elton John |
| 2013–14 | Slow foxtrot: Just One Dance by Caro Emerald Quickstep: That Man by Caro Emerald | Lost Generation (from "Chronicles") by Audiomachine Cerebral Beauty by Audiomachine |
| 2011–12 | Rhumba: Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers performed by Will Young Cha cha: Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps performed by The Pussycat Dolls | Amélie by Yann Tiersen |
| 2010–11 | Waltz: La Valse d'Amélie (from Amélie) by Yann Tiersen Quickstep: Jumping Jack by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy | Ritornare (from Corteo) |

### With Demireva

| Season | Original dance | Free dance |
| 2008–09 | Slow foxtrot: Selection by Louis Armstrong Quickstep: Selection by Louis Armstrong | Kill Bill |
| 2007–08 | Serbian folk: Selection by Goran Bregović | Harem by Sarah Brightman |
| 2006–07 | El Tango de Roxanne (from Moulin Rouge!) | Harem by Sarah Brightman |

## Results

CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

### With Silná for Austria

International :
| Event | 10–11 | 11–12 | 12–13 | 13–14 | 14–15 | 15–16 |
| Worlds | | 36th | | | 21st | 20th |
| Europeans | | 24th | | 25th | 18th | 17th |
| CS DS Cup | | | | | | 5th |
| CS Finlandia Trophy | | | | | | 9th |
| CS Ice Challenge | | | | | | 4th |
| CS Nepela Trophy | | 7th | | | 5th | |
| Cup of Nice | | 11th | | | | |
| Ice Challenge | | 5th | | | | |
| Mont Blanc | 8th | | | | | |
| Nebelhorn Trophy | 16th | | | | | |
| NRW Trophy | | | | | | 2nd |
| Pavel Roman | | 8th | | | | |
| Trophy of Lyon | 5th | 2nd | | | | |
| National |||||||
| Austrian Champ. | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st |

### With Demireva for Bulgaria

International :
| Event | 05–06 | 06–07 | 07–08 | 08–09 |
| Worlds | | | 30th | 29th |
| Europeans | | | | 25th |
| Golden Spin | | | | 8th |
| Nepela Memorial | | | | 8th |
| International: Junior |||||
| Junior Worlds | | 25th | 24th | |
| JGP Bulgaria | | | 13th | |
| JGP Czech Rep. | | 15th | | |
| JGP Romania | | 15th | 13th | |
| National |||||
| Bulgarian Champ. | 2nd | | 1st | |

### With Baurina for Estonia

International :
| Event | 2004–05 |
| ISU Junior Grand Prix in Germany | 17th |