On 11 September 1992, Gordeeva gave birth to their daughter, Daria "Dasha" Sergeyevna Grinkova, in Morristown, New Jersey.

Grinkov first took to the ice at the age of five, entering the Children and Youth Sports School of CSKA in Moscow.

[6] They are one of the few pair teams in history to successfully complete a quadruple twist lift in international competition, at the 1987 World Championships.

They also completed the difficult maneuver at the 1987 European Championships, but due to a problem with Grinkov's boot strap and a misunderstanding about the rules, they were disqualified from that event (the referee signaled them to stop, going so far as to turn off their music but they continued skating).

In 1994, Gordeeva/Grinkov took advantage of a one-time rule change that allowed professional skaters to regain their Olympic eligibility.

Their last competition was at the 1995 Challenge of Champions, which took place on 7 January 1995 in Tokyo, Japan where they skated to Verdi's "Requiem Mass".

The pair was known for their quiet glide over the ice: "Grinkov and Gordeeva had something special that was more easily appreciated in person.

"[8] Their last public performance, just days before Grinkov's sudden death, was in the "Skates for Gold III" television special in Albany, N.Y.[9] On 20 November 1995, Grinkov collapsed and died from a massive heart attack in Lake Placid, New York, while he and Gordeeva were practicing for the upcoming 1995–1996 Stars on Ice tour.

[1][10] Doctors found that Grinkov had severely clogged coronary arteries (to the point where his arterial opening was reportedly the size of a pinhole), which caused the heart attack; later testing revealed that he also had a genetic risk factor linked with premature heart attacks.

Gordeeva, his widow, along with an all-star cast, skated a tribute in his honor titled "Celebration of a Life" in February 1996, which was later televised.

[12] He was also the subject of a book, geared towards the 9–12 age group, titled They Died Too Young: Sergei Grinkov written by Anne E. Hill.