Denis Ten Street appeared in Almaty

Tengrinews.kz — A street named after Olympic bronze medalist figure skater Denis Ten has officially appeared in Almaty.

Which streets received new names

The new street is located in the Bostandyk district, specifically in the Arkhat micro-district south of First President's Park. Denis Ten's name was given to what was formerly known as 7th Street.

Photo: ©️ Tengrinews.kz / Nikita Danilin

The decision was part of a large-scale initiative to rename Almaty's unnamed streets. In total, official names were assigned to over 150 streets across the Alatau, Auezov, Bostandyk, Zhetysu, Medeu, Nauryzbay, and Turksib districts.

According to the document, several streets and alleys in the Arkhat micro-district of the Bostandyk district received names simultaneously. Specifically, 2nd Street became Amen Kaidarov Street, 3rd Street was named after Baidulla Sabdykeev, 4th became Sarkana Street, 5th was named after Gabbas Zhumatov, and 7th Street was named after Denis Ten.

Additionally, alleys in the micro-district were given new names, honoring Sileti and Khromtau.

By decree of the Akimat (city administration) and the decision of the Maslikhat (city council), the names of prominent figures, cities, natural landmarks, and historical sites have been assigned to previously unnamed streets across several districts of Almaty.

New street names include those honoring Amantai Baitanaev, Ho Chi Minh, Natalia Sats, Kaiym Mukhamedzhanov, Abdizhamil Nurpeisov, Muzafar Alimbaev, Smayyl Otegenov, Mauytkhan Sydykov, Bekesh Madaliev, Anatoly Khrapaty, and others.

Furthermore, the city map now features streets named Shankobyz, Aksaray, Zhanaozen, Aktau, Usharal, Bozzhyra, Ereymentau, Semey, and many others.

Background

It first became known last autumn, following a session of the city council, that an Almaty street would be named after Denis Ten.

At that time, it was reported that the decision was part of a city program to immortalize the memory of outstanding personalities. A total of 156 unnamed streets were slated for renaming. Of these, 22 were named after World War II veterans, and another 15 after prominent Kazakhstanis, including Denis Ten.

It was also confirmed then that the figure skater's name would be specifically assigned to 7th Street in the Arkhat micro-district.

After the decision to name the street after the figure skater was announced, his mother, Oksana Ten, admitted that the news came as a surprise to her.

"I believe this could have been done long ago, but I am very happy about this news. Now I want to see how they will implement it," she noted.

In memory of the athlete

Denis Ten was born on June 13, 1993, in Almaty. He became one of the most decorated figure skaters in the history of Kazakhstan. In 2013, he won the silver medal at the World Championships, followed by a bronze in 2015. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Denis Ten became a bronze medalist and also won the Four Continents Championships.

The figure skater died on July 19, 2018, in Almaty while attempting to prevent the theft of mirrors from his car. The tragedy prompted questions from Kazakhstanis regarding the timeliness of medical assistance and other circumstances of the incident.

Read also: “Now everyone knows me too.” Shaidorov on Ten’s legacy and how Kazakhstan surprised the world