Name Jan Benzien Role Olympic athlete | Height 1.8 m Weight 75 kg | |
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How BlackBerry Leap Helped These German Athletes Become World Champions
Jan Benzien (born 22 July 1982) is a German slalom canoeist. He won eleven medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with two golds (C-1 team: 2006, C-2: 2015), eight silvers (C-1: 2002; C-1 team: 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013; C-2 team: 2015), and a bronze (C-1: 2009). He won additional 15 medals at the European Championships (2 golds, 7 silvers, and 6 bronzes).
Benzien competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the C-1 event, he finished second in the qualification round, thus progressing to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Benzien finished twelfth, failing to reach the top eight and the final round. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he placed fourth in the C-2 event, together with teammate Franz Anton.
Benzien serves with the German Army and has a degree in sport management from the Vocational Academy of Riesa. He is married to the Olympic canoeist Mandy Planert; they have children, Justus Jonas and Mika. In 2014, he launched a canoe rental company in Leipzig.