Skating world expresses sadness at death of Kazakh star

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Europe

01:37

Tributes have been paid to Denis Ten, the Kazakh Olympic bronze-winning skater who died on Thursday from stab wounds at the age of 25.

Ten, who won a bronze medal at the Sochi Winter Games in 2014, was taken to the hospital after the attack in an apparent robbery attempt in the city of Almaty but died later from his injuries.

The International Skating Union said it was “deeply saddened” by the news of Ten's death.

Figure skaters from other countries, including China's Li Zijun, Canadian Patrick Chan, South Korean Kim Yuna and Russian Evgenia Medvedeva, also paid tribute on their social media accounts.

Born in Kazakhstan to a family of Korean descent in 1993, Ten began his figure skating career at an open-air rink in Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. He started competing internationally in 2006 at the age of 13, and won gold five years later at the 2011 Asian Winter Games in Astana.

Denis Ten of Kazakhstan delivers a speech during Almaty's 2022 Olympic Winter Games bid presentation at the 128th International Olympic Committee session in 2015. /VCG Photo

The young sensation continued his rise to fame at the 2013 ISU World Championships in Ontario, with a silver medal that represented his country's first podium finish at the annual showcase.

Next came the pinnacle of Ten's career – bronze at the Sochi Olympics. He then got involved in the ultimately unsuccessful effort to bring the biggest snow and ice spectacle on the planet to his home nation as the official ambassador for Almaty's 2022 bid.

Ten struggled with injuries in recent seasons but entered the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, where he was cheered loudly by the local fans due in part to his Korean heritage.

He finished in 27th place after being limited in training during the run-up to the Games. Ten celebrated his 25th birthday last month, and according to coach Lori Nichol, was planning to join her in Toronto next week, to choreograph a new short program.