Nineteen-year-old Denis Ten of Kazakhstan stunned the world when he threw down two incredible performances at this year's World Championships in London, Ontario. Ten first burst onto the scene and turned heads at the 2009 Worlds in Los Angeles, but since then has not lived up to his competitive potential. At Worlds, Ten proved that he is a force to be reckoned with as the Sochi Olympics loom.
Ten's two performances were not without flaw, but quite close. What's more, Ten's effervescence radiated throughout the arena. Patrick Chan, the winner of the event, had several major errors and still skated away with the title, causing many to question the reliability of the scoring system. However, regardless of what scoring system is used, the 6.0 system of old or the IJS system of the last decade, there have always been controversial wins. Skating is both sport and art, after all, and how can art be judged objectively?
In this case, Chan had a supreme short program and has the most experience and finesse, on paper, but Ten, though more inexperienced and a bit rough around the edges, stole the show and the hearts of the audience members. Gold medal or not, he created the most excitement at the championship and had the time of his life. I found myself clapping by the end of the freeskate. Sometimes the process is more important than the result. For Ten, his silver medal is as good as gold. For Chan, one has to wonder if his third world title-- and second very controversial World Championship win-- is not as sweet as an undisputed championship title.
Let's join in the Denis Ten discussion. New star of the future? What do you think of his skating? A contender in the upcoming Olympic season? Let's discuss!
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