Born on January 26, 1965 in the Siberian town of Norilsk, Yurchenko relocated to the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. There, she began training under the guidence Vladislav Rastorotsky, coach of the '72 Olympic all-around champion Ludmila Turisheva and '80 Olympic vault winner Natalia Shaposhnikova.
Natalia Yurchenko pioneered a new vaulting technique, but was her four-event strength earned her the all-around gold at the 1982 World Cup and '83 world championships. Still, she once said: "I don't think young gymnasts know who I am. They know my name from the vault, but not me as a gymnast."
She got married, had a daughter, Olga, and now she lives and coaches in the USA.