ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Two suspects have been detained in the case of the July 19 stabbing death of Kazakh Olympic figure skater Denis Ten.
Almaty city police announced that Arman Qudaibergenov, a 24-year-old native of the southern Qyzylorda region, was apprehended in Almaty's Aqsai district on July 20.
According to police, Qudaibergenov confessed to stabbing Ten.
Earlier the same day, Almaty city prosecutor Berik Zhuiriktaev told reporters that another suspect, Nuraly Qiyasov, born in 1994 and a native of the southern Zhambyl region, had been detained and had also confessed his involvement in the shocking killing.
Ten, who was a bronze medalist at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and who won bronze and silver at the world championships in 2013 and 2015, was stabbed after he confronted two men as they were trying to steal the mirrors off his car.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
Suspect Taken To Site Where Kazakh Skater Killed
He was reportedly stabbed in the lower torso.
Ten, who turned 25 last month, was the first Kazakh skater ever to win an Olympic medal.
The International Skating Union (ISU) issued a statement saying it was "deeply saddened" by the news.
Kazakh Sports and Culture Minister Arystanbek Mukhamediuly called Ten's death "terrible and unjust."
Kazakh Olympic Committee President Timur Kulibaev said in a statement that "today is truly a dark day for all of us who knew and loved this young figure skater and were inspired by his talent and creativity."
"I saw him in Sochi," said Russian speed skater Aleksandr Kibalko. "I was rooting for my former countryman, since I was born in Kazakhstan myself. This is a huge tragedy for the sports world, for figure skating in particular."
Ten trained in Moscow and in the United States. He skated at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where he finished 11th. Dogged by injuries, he finished 27th earlier this year at the Olympics in South Korea.