[1] She held a 2007 Russian senior title for her own division, picked up a total of seventeen medals in her career, including a bronze from the European Championships, and finished seventh in the 57-kg class at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Throughout most of her sporting career, Yukhareva trained as a full-fledged member of the judo squad for SKA St. Petersburg, under her personal coach, father, and sensei Sergey Yukharev.

[2][3] Yukhareva qualified for the Russian squad in the women's lightweight class (57 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by placing third from the European Championships in Bucharest, Romania.

[4][5] She got off to a rough start with a sudden-death defeat from North Korean judoka and 1996 Olympic champion Kye Sun-hui in the prelims.

With her opponent moving further into the final, Yukhareva permitted herself a chance for an Olympic bronze medal by immediately clutching Malta's Marcon Bezzina and Great Britain's Sophie Cox in the repechage round, but fell short to France's Barbara Harel by a double yuko and a seoi nage (shoulder throw) in their subsequent match, relegating Yukhareva into the seventh position.