The future skater Denis Ten was born in mid-June 1993 in the then capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata, by nationality he is Korean. In some interviews, Ten liked to repeat that he is a descendant of a famous general who served in the Korean army.
Already from childhood, the boy showed a talent for sports, he was quite lively and mobile kid, his parents tried to channel this energy into a peaceful direction, for example, related to sports. Thanks to their efforts, including the world recognized the name of a talented skater.
Childhood
Denis liked many sports, some managed to work out a little bit: for example, acrobatics, swimming, tennis. At the same time, the guy was also a creative person: he tried to draw, dance and sing.
In an interview, the young man said that in childhood there was practically no time for mischief: everything was scheduled up to seconds and minutes. Parents fully supported any undertakings of the son and in every possible way contributed to the development of his talents.
Ten also seriously studied singing - he studied at a music school and graduated from a piano class. And in 2002, at the Olympics in South Korea, Denis even won a silver medal in music. She was the first in his life.
First sports achievements
But despite the creative manifestations, Denis Ten still decided to stay in the sport and chose figure skating. For the first time, a boy started skating at the age of 5, and remembered his very first acquaintance with ice with a laugh - he decided to walk around the site in sneakers. Of course, I fell, felt pain, but at the same time I firmly decided to deal only with this species. I understood that it would not be necessary without difficulties, but I was ready for them.
He was mainly engaged in the winter time, because in the summer in Kazakhstan there were no indoor areas, you could only train in some shopping centers. I myself learned to do jumps and some complex elements.
Serious competition
The debut in competitive practice for Denis Ten was participation in the “Crystal Skate”, where Elena Buyanova (Vodorezova) drew attention to him - she was already a well-deserved trainer of the Russian Federation, in the past she was the world and European champion in single skating. Elena Germanovna invited parents to transport their child to the capital of Russia and begin training there.
On the advice of the coach, my mother went with Denis to Moscow, while his father stayed in Kazakhstan with his eldest son. Further more serious competitions followed, for example, the Grand Prix among juniors, the Cup of Russia. After them, Denis participated in the World Figure Skating Championships in 2009, which was held in the USA. And after this tournament, the sixteen-year-old Ten entered the Top Ten Skaters.
Thanks to this event, I got the opportunity to participate in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. However, the guy took only 11th place, but was already a serious enough contender for other skaters. After the Olympics, Denis received an offer to train with the renowned American specialist Frank Carroll, who as a result helped the skater to reach his full potential.
Last medals
Mom again went to America with her son, performed many important functions: she was his manager, mentor, cook and parent all rolled into one. In 2011, Denis participated in the Asian Winter Games, which were held in Kazakhstan, and became the first. And in 2013, at the World Championships, Denis took second place in the final standings. After this event, not only in his native Kazakhstan they started talking about him, but throughout the world.
At the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Denis became a real triumph - the young man took a high third place and became a real hero. In 2017, at the Winter Universiade, the young man won a gold medal. These were his last major competitions.
The sudden death of Denis Ten. Cause
In mid-July 2018, Denis's life ended abruptly and tragically. In the center of Alma-Ata, in a parking lot near a shopping center, a young man wanted to detain attackers who tried to remove mirrors from his car. The criminals inflicted several stab wounds, as a result of which the guy lost a lot of blood and did not regain consciousness. Doctors failed to save the life of a talented skater.
The public stirred up this terrible news. Many sports officials, coaches and famous skaters around the world expressed their sorrow and condolences to the family of the deceased.