Yelena Nikolayevna Grosheva was born on April 12, 1979 in Yaroslavl, Russia.
At the age of 5 Yelena took up gymnastics and showed a natural talent for the sport. Then in 1992, she was sent to Round Lake to train as part of the National Team. Her first big competition was the 1994 Junior European Championships and later the same year she went to the World Championships.
In 1996, Grosheva finished second All Around in the Russian Cup and became a member of the Olympic team. At the Olympic Games in Atlanta, the Russian team was in the lead after the compulsories, but in the finals she and her teamates had to compete against the noise from the American crowds and finished second behind the Americans. She performed very well in the Vault and Floor finals.
After being hampered by injuries Grosheva retired from the sport and joined Cirque de Soleil. In June 2006 Grosheva married Canadian composer Steve Barakatt and guests at the wedding included her former teammates Svetlana Khorkina and Lyudmila Yezhova.
In March 2007, Grosheva was appointed UNICEF Canada Goodwill Ambassador.