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ALMATY (Reuters) - Two men were jailed for 18 years in Kazakhstan on Thursday for the murder of Denis Ten, the country’s first Olympic figure skating medalist, a court spokesman said.

Ten, 25, was stabbed in Almaty in July as he struggled with two men he had caught trying to steal the mirrors on his car, police said.

He won bronze in the men’s figure skating at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, aged 20, and also won world championship silver in 2013 and bronze in 2015.

A court in Almaty found Arman Kudaybergenov guilty of murder, violent robbery and theft and Nural Kiyasov guilty of murder and violent robbery and sentenced both to 18 years in prison.

Female defendant Zhanar Tolybayeva was found guilty of theft and failing to report a crime, and sentenced to four years.

Ten finished 27th at last year’s Pyeongchang Olympics after a build-up dogged by injury, but was cheered by local fans because of his Korean roots.

(Corrects last paragraph to read “last year’s Pyeongchang Olympics”, not “this year’s”.)