Suspect in stabbing death of Olympic figure skater Denis Ten detained, admits guilt – prosecutor
Authorities in Kazakhstan have announced that one of the suspects in the murder of Denis Ten, an Olympic figure skating bronze medalist, has admitted his guilt, as police continue the hunt for the second perpetrator.
The detained suspect was identified as Nuraly Kiyasov, a native of the country’s south, bordering Kyrgyzstan, Almaty’s city prosecutor has said in a statement.
“He has confessed to the crime,” the prosecutor said. There are few details available about the suspect apart from his name and year of birth – 1994.
Kiyasov has been arrested and placed into custody. In the meantime, police have yet to catch his accomplice, the second perpetrator, who is still on the run.
Ten died on Thursday after being fatally stabbed during an altercation with two men, as they attempted to steal rear-view mirrors from his car in broad daylight in downtown Almaty. The renowned figure skater lost three liters of blood before he was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance. The doctors failed to resuscitate Ten, who was already in a clinical coma when he was admitted.
Condolences have been pouring in to Ten’s family and Kazakhstan, where hundreds of people staged a vigil to honor the slain 25-year-old sports star.
Many fellow famous figure skaters have paid tributes to Ten, including Russian Olympic champions Adelina Sotnikova, Evgeni Plushenko and Alexei Yagudin.
The International Skating Union (ISU) and President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach have also extended their condolences.
“Denis Ten was a great athlete and a great ambassador for his sport. A warm personality and a charming man. Such a tragedy to lose him at such a young age,” Bach said.
Ten’s greatest career achievement was winning the individual bronze at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He was also a two-time World Championship medalist and a five-time national champion
