Jan Benzien (born 22 July 1982) is a German slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 1999. Benzien started out as a C1 paddler. Since 2012 he has also been competing in C2, teaming up with Franz Anton.

He won eleven medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with two golds (C1 team: 2006, C2: 2015), eight silvers (C1: 2002; C1 team: 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013; C2 team: 2015), and a bronze (C1: 2009). He won additional 16 medals at the European Championships (3 golds, 7 silvers, and 6 bronzes).

Benzien competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the C1 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 C2 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.

World Cup individual podiums

References

• 13 September 2009 final results of the men's C1 event at the 2009 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships. – accessed 13 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine (archived 20 September 2009)
• "2010 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships 12 September 2010 C1 men's team final results – accessed 12 September 2010". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
• "ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships – Part 2: rest of fla*er (now sprint) and remaining canoeing disciplines: 1936–2007" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Jan Benzien at the International Olympic Committee
• Jan Benzien at Olympics.com
• Jan Benzien at the Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund (in German)