Born Oksana Kovalyova (), she won her first international medal at the 1987 European Athletics Junior Championships, finishing as runner-up to East Germany's Diana Dietz in the 200 metres. The two repeated this finish in the 4×100 metres relay, where the Soviet women's team which included Lyudmila Dmitriadi took second place. She changed her name to Stepicheva in 1989 and competed under that name for the rest of her career.