Yelena Grosheva (RUS)
1993 European Youth Olympic Days: 2nd AA
1993 Nikon International: 17th AA, 1st UB
1993 Junior European Championships: 20th AA
1993 Moscow World Stars: 12th AA
1994 Junior European Championships: 5th AA, 7th UB, 4th BB
1994 Goodwill Games: 3rd AA
1994 World Championships: 12th AA
1994 World Team Championships:
1994 Moscow World Stars: 6th AA
1995 World Championships: 21st AA, 8th BB
1995 Kosice Cup: 10th AA
1995 Subway Challenge
1995 IBM Atlanta Invitational: 10th AA
1996 Russian Nationals: 4th AA
1996 Russian Cup: 2nd AA
1996 BLR v. ROM v. RUS: 1st T, 6th AA
1996 Olympics: 2nd T, 7th V
1996 DTB Cup: 3rd V, 5th UB, 4th FX
1996 Cup of Buratino: 3rd AA
1996 Swiss Cup:
1997 Russian Nationals: 3rd AA, 2nd V, 7th UB, 1st BB, 2nd FX
1997 Moscow Stars: 7th V, 1st AA
1997 European Gymnastics Masters: 5th T
1997 World Championships: 2nd T
Results courtesy of Gymn Forum and television broadcasts
Yelena Grosheva was born in
Yaroslavl, Russia on April 12, 1979. An intelligent child, her parents were
quick to try and enroll daughter in a prestigious academic school. The school,
preferring to accept children of an older age, suggested that the parents put
Yelena in a local sports school and then come back to them in a couple of year's
time. Yelena would never return to this school however, for her gymnastic talent
would shine at the sports school.
In 1992 Yelena was selected to train
at Round Lake. One year later, she represented Russia at the prestigious
European Youth Olympic Days (2nd AA) and Junior European Championships (20th
AA). Like many young junior Russians, she was also invited to participate in her
"backyard" at the Moscow Stars (12th AA).
Yelena rose to the top ranks of the
Russian team in 1994, participating in both the individual World Championships
in Brisbane (12th AA) and World Team Championships (3rd T) in Dortmund. It was
the 1994 Goodwill Games, however, where Yelena shone. Strong efforts led to a
team gold for Russia, and individually she rose to win the bronze medal.
Yelena continued to train, with the
1996 Atlanta Olympics the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, she and her teammates
suffered some setbacks along the way. In 1995, at the World Championships in
Sabae, the Russians performed below everybody's expectations, including their
own, and for the first time in memory finished out of the medal standings.
Although Yelena had performed relatively well for the team, it was blow to all
members.
The Olympic year did not start off
any better for Yelena. A nagging foot injury chipped away at Yelena's progress
and spirit. Disheartened, she quit gymnastics and moved back home. An interview
with Yelena in the British documentary "Russia Now"
forshadowed her departure:
...I've been close to giving
up gymnastics, especially in the training sessions and I'm not achieving much
and the coaches start shouting at you. You know there's no one to go and
complain to. At home you can go to Mom but here there's no one. You have to
keep everything locked inside. You tell the other girls about your problems
but they just have the same problems as you. Sometimes I just feel that that's
it, I've had enough. Sometimes when you perform badly they tell you that they
don't need you anymore. That happens.
Russia did need Yelena though, and
luckily she quickly changed her tune and returned to Round Lake with renewed vision. "It
was just kind of a bad phase in which I was doubting myself,"
Yelena explained to IG magazine.
Yelena did wonderfully well at the
Russian Olympic trials, finished second overall and thus earning an automatic
bearth to the Olympic team. Yelena and her Russian teammates traveled to Florida
for their pre-Olympic training, arriving in Atlanta with the focus and polish
that was missing a year earlier in Sabae. The team finished second, which, while
far better than their performance in Sabae, was still considered a blow.
Individually, Yelena did well in Atlanta to qualify to two event finals. Her
second vault did not go as planned (step on landing), and unfortunately she was
replaced on floor exercise.
Yelena pushed on past Atlanta
despite further injuries. Her floor routine from the 1996 Swiss Cup, where she
was one of two finalists, is a must see. Her personality is ideally suited to
the sensuous jazz music.
Yelena went on to make the Russia's
1997 World Championship team, but in Lausanne performed below Arkaev's high
expectations. Personality struggles between she and Arkaev were rumoured to have
emerged following Lausanne, resulting in her being kicked out of Round Lake. In
any event, Yelena decided to retire within months of competing in Lausanne.
In May 1998, Grosheva was present at
the European Championships in St. Petersburg. She competed not as an artistic
gymnast, however, rather as a sports aerobics participant in the opening
ceremony. After she toured with Cirque du Soleil's
touring Alegria show, performing alongside former Russian National teammate Yevgenia
Roschina.
On June 19, 2006 Grosheva married Canadian musician Steve
Barakatt. Photos of the pair are available at:
http://www.yar.kp.ru/2006/05/10/doc114712/
http://yaroslavl.rfn.ru/region/rnews.html?id=28693&rid=81
Barakatt recently composed a song for Grosheva's former teammate, Svetlana
Khorkina, who is interested in releasing a music CD.
. This page was created on October 18, 2000 and last updated on August 25,
2006.
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