In 2000 he won the Belarusian youth title in the octathlon. International competitions followed and he broke the world youth record in the octathlon with a total of 6415 points in 2003. This mark was beaten soon after by Andrés Silva, who won at the 2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics, leaving Krauchanka with the silver medal. He also placed fifth in the long jump at that year's European Youth Olympic Festival. That year a period of training in Finland under Pavel Hamalainen, father of Eduard Hämäläinen, did not last and he returned to his original coach Ivan Gordienko.