Yelena Berezhnaya est née le 11 octobre 1977 à Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Krai, Russian SFSR, USSR [aujourd'hui Russia]. Elle a été mariée avec Steven Cousins.
Took karate lessons and art classes while living in Hackensack, New
Jersey. Elena even sketched a portrait of President Vladimir Putin at
an athlete reception following the 2002 Olympics and gave it to him!