This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Canadian Figure Skaters Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, Mourn Denis Ten's Death In Kazakhstan

The bronze-medal athlete was reportedly stabbed in a car robbery.

As news of Olympic athlete Denis Ten's stabbing death spread late this week, Canada's figure skating community reacted in shock, sadness, and disbelief.

The Canadian figure skating team had just competed with Ten at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics in February. Ten, who skated for Kazakhstan and earned a bronze medal in Sochi in 2014, died Thursday after reportedly being stabbed in Almaty, Kazakhstan, by two men attempting a car robbery.

"The world has lost a bright light," gold medalist Tessa Virtue tweeted Thursday. "We'll miss your exuberance, artistry, and friendship, D.T."

Virtue's ice dancing partner Scott Moir tweeted that Ten was "as kind as he was talented."

"It was an honour to share the ice with him. You will be greatly missed, Denis," he wrote.

Women's figure skater Gabrielle Daleman, men's figure skater Patrick Chan, and bronze medal pairs skaters Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford all shared their shock and disbelief as well, noting that Ten was a talented skater, a good friend, and a kind and thoughtful person.

Chan called Ten "one of the most beautiful skaters to have graced our sport," adding that his thoughts are with Ten's family.

"I always felt honoured to share the ice with him," Radford tweeted.

Skate Canada, the governing body for the sport of figure skating in Canada, said they were "shocked and saddened."

Ten, who was 25, was reportedly knifed during an altercation with two men in Almaty who were trying to remove the mirrors from his car. He was found unconscious in the street by a passerby and taken to hospital, where he died a few hours later, according to multiple media reports.

His death is an "irreparable loss," Head of State Nursultan Nazarbayev said in a statement published by news agency Kazinform.

"He greatly contributed to the formation and development of the national figure skating school, the promotion of Kazakhstan's sport at the highest level. His outstanding achievements glorified our country and helped popularize sport among youth," Nazarbayev said.

A makeshift memorial for Denis Ten in Almaty, Kazakhstan, July 20, 2018.
Shamil Zhumatov / Reuters
A makeshift memorial for Denis Ten in Almaty, Kazakhstan, July 20, 2018.

Ten won a bronze medal in Sochi in 2014, and a silver medal in the World Figure Skating Championships in 2013, but placed 27th in PyeongChang while battling injuries.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach called Ten "a great athlete and a great ambassador for his sport."

"Such a tragedy to lose him at such a young age," Bach said on Twitter.

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.