Ivan Bukin

Personal life

Ivan Andreyevich Bukin was born on 16 September 1993 in Moscow, Russia. He is the son of 1988 Olympic ice dancing champion Andrei Bukin. His mother, Elena Vasiuk, is also a former ice dancer. In 2010, he began studying at Moscow's Institute of Physical Culture.

Early years

Bukin began learning to skate in 1998. He started out in single skating but was asked to switch to ice dancing. He initially disliked skating but over time grew to love dance. He skated briefly with Elena Ilinykh. Bukin was partnered with Stepanova in 2006 by coaches Irina Zhuk and Alexander Svinin and trains in Moscow.

2010–11 to 2011–12

Stepanova/Bukin debuted on the Junior Grand Prix series in the 2010–11 season. They won both of their events and qualified for the 2010 JGP Final, where they won the bronze medal.

Stepanova/Bukin won both of their 2011–12 JGP events, Romania and Italy. Their placements qualified them for the JGP Final where they placed fourth in the short and second in the free dance to receive the bronze medal. They won silver at the 2012 Russian Junior Championships. Stepanova/Bukin then competed at the 2012 World Junior Championships and won the silver medal.

2012–13 season: World Junior title

In 2012–13, Stepanova/Bukin won gold medals at their JGP events in Turkey and Germany, qualifying them for the JGP Final in Sochi, Russia. They won the gold medal in their third appearance at the final. Stepanova/Bukin withdrew from the 2013 Russian Junior Championships due to Bukin's cold and sinusitis. They were assigned to the 2013 World Junior Championships where they won the gold medal, more than seven points ahead of French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron. After the event, the duo and their coaches discussed whether to move up to the senior level.

2013–14 season: Senior debut

Stepanova/Bukin decided to make their senior debut in the 2013–14 season. They were assigned to one 2013–14 Grand Prix event, the 2013 Skate Canada, and finished eighth. They came in fifth at the 2013 Winter Universiade. At the Russian Championships, Stepanova/Bukin finished sixth on the senior level and won gold on the junior level ahead of Yanovskaya/Mozgov. They were assigned to the 2014 World Junior Championships but withdrew due to illness.

2014–15 season: European bronze

Stepanova/Bukin began the 2014–15 season with a gold medal at the 2014 Finlandia Trophy, an ISU Challenger Series (CS) event. Their first Grand Prix medal, bronze, came at the 2014 Skate America. At the 2014 Rostelecom Cup, they finished 5th. Stepanova/Bukin took bronze at the 2015 Russian Championships and were assigned to the 2015 European Championships in Stockholm. They were awarded the bronze medal in Sweden, ahead of Elena Ilinykh / Ruslan Zhiganshin. They ended their season at the 2015 World Championships in Shanghai, finishing 9th.

2015–16 season

Stepanova/Bukin had planned to begin the 2015–16 season at the 2015 CS Finlandia Trophy, however, they withdrew because Bukin's off-season illness had slowed their preparations for the season. At the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard (GP), they placed third in the short dance, which was accepted as the final result following the competition's cancellation due to the November 2015 Paris attacks. They finished fourth overall at their next GP event, the 2015 NHK Trophy. Stepanova/Bukin edged out Ilinykh/Zhiganshin for the bronze medal at the Russian Championships in late December in Ekaterinburg and finished as the third Russian team, in 5th place, in January 2016 at the European Championships in Bratislava.

Stepanova/Bukin were assigned to the 2016 World Championships in Boston after Ekaterina Bobrova / Dmitri Soloviev withdrew due to a positive doping sample. They finished 11th in the competition after placing eleventh in both the short and free dance.

2016–17 season

Stepanova/Bukin started their season on the Challenger Series, at the 2016 CS Finlandia Trophy. Ranked first in both segments, they earned personal best scores and won the gold medal by a margin of 7.07 points over silver medalists Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue. Their Grand Prix assignments are the 2016 Skate Canada International and 2016 Cup of China.

Programs

(with Stepanova)

Competitive highlights

(with Stepanova)

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.