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Denis TenKazakhstani figure skater
Date of Birth: 13.06.1996
Country:  Kazakhstan |
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Biography of Denis Ten
Denis Yurevich Ten was born on June 13, 1993 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He is a Kazakhstani figure skater who began practicing figure skating at the age of six. By the age of twelve, he had already won the Kazakhstan Championship, competing against athletes who were much older and more experienced than him, including those who had competed internationally.
Early Career
Denis started his figure skating career at the age of six and at twelve, he won the Kazakhstan Championship. It is worth noting that this was not the junior championship, meaning that Denis competed against athletes who surpassed him in both age and experience, including on international ice arenas. When asked about the reasons for his success, Denis says, "I am a fan of my craft - that's the whole secret. I love training so much and give 150% in everything."
International Success
Denis can rightfully be considered an international athlete. He was born in Kazakhstan but is of partial Korean descent. His great-grandfather, Min Gynho, was a general during the Korean Empire. However, Denis's native language is Russian. His career development took place in Moscow under the guidance of Elena Buyanova, a five-time champion of the USSR in figure skating and once the youngest Soviet athlete to participate in the Olympic Games.
Early Achievements
At just 13 years old, when he reached the age limit set by the International Skating Union, Denis began competing on the world stage. However, the 2006 season was not very successful for him - he finished tenth at the Junior Grand Prix stage in the Netherlands and failed to qualify for the free program in the World Championships, finishing only twenty-sixth overall.
In 2007, Denis achieved his first major victories. He finished tenth at the Junior Grand Prix stage in Estonia and sixth in Romania, and at the World Championships, he improved his position from twenty-sixth to sixteenth. The 2008 season started with a victory for Denis at the Grand Prix in Belarus. He finished fourth in France and first at the fourth stage of the Russian Cup, surpassing the favorite of the competition, Vladimir Uspensky, by seventeen points.
In 2009, Denis finished third in the World Junior Championships and entered the top ten at the World Championships in Los Angeles. Talking about his experience of his first victories, Denis says, "First and foremost, the World Championships showed me how much I still have to do, how long the road ahead is, and how much work is needed to pass it." And yet, at one point, Denis started figure skating just "for himself." The turning point came for him at the age of eleven when he decided, "If I started this, I must approach it with all seriousness. And mentally, I shifted to another level of commitment to the sport."
Future Endeavors
This year, Denis is preparing for the Olympics in Vancouver and the World Championships in Turin, Italy, which will take place in March. Both spectators and coaches already predict Olympic gold for the young figure skater.
