elena Grosheva

Yelena Nikolayevna Grosheva (; born April 12, 1979) is a Russian former competitive gymnast. She won silver in the team event at the 1996 Summer Olympics and two team medals at the World Championships.

Personal life Grosheva was born on April 12, 1979, in Russia.

Honors and awards

Master of Sports of Russia International Master of Sports of Russia Honored Master of Sports of Russia

Career Grosheva took up gymnastics at the age of five and showed a natural talent for the sport. 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.

At the 1994 Goodwill Games she had a stellar competition and one of the high points of her career, being a pivotal part of the Russian gold medal winning team, and winning bronze behind Dina Kochetkova and Shannon Miller, and ahead of such stars as Lilia Podkopayeva in the women's All Around. 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 ultimately they finished second behind the Americans. She placed into vault event finals, but finished a disappointing 7th. Her floor exercise scores had placed her highest among the Russians for event finals, but she was replaced by teammate Dina Kochetkova. Overall score was 32.057.

Post-competitive career After being hampered by injuries Grosheva retired from the sport and joined Cirque du Soleil. In March 2007, she was appointed UNICEF Canada Goodwill Ambassador with her husband.

Competitive history

Year Competition description Location Apparatus Rank-Final Score-Final Rank-Qualifying Score-Qualifying 1997 World Championships Lausanne Team 2 153.197 1 153.401 Vault 40 9.200 Balance beam 16 9.400 Floor exercise 52 8.912 1996 Olympic Games Atlanta Team 2 388.404 All-around 14 77.024 Vault 7 9.637 7 19.500 Uneven bars 47 19.012 Balance beam 21 18.987 Floor exercise WD 8 19.525 1995 World Championships Sabae Team 4 384.689 All-around 21 37.955 13 76.798 Vault 7 9.293 4 19.387 Uneven bars 13 19.362 Balance beam 8 9.562 9 19.312 Floor exercise 37 19.099 1994 World Championships Dortmund Team 3 194.546 4 385.515 Brisbane All-around 12 38.324