Jan Benzien (born July 22, 1982 in Giessen) is a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 slalom canoer who has competed since the early 2000s. He won eight medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

The ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships are an international event in canoeing organized by the International Canoe Federation. The World Championships have taken place every year in non-Summer Olympic years since 2002. From 1949 to 1999, they had taken place in odd-numbered years...

 with a gold (C-1 team: 2006

2006 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

The 2006 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in Prague, Czech Republic under the auspices of International Canoe Federation. Prague became the second city to host both the slalom and sprint world championships, having hosted the latter in 1958 when Prague was part of Czechoslovakia...

) six silvers (C-1: 2002

2002 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

The 2002 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in Bourg St.-Maurice, France under the auspices of International Canoe Federation for the record-tying third time. Bourg St.-Maurice hosted the championships previously in 1969 and 1987, and matches the times hosted by Spittal, Austria and...

, C-1 team: 2002, 2005

2005 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

The 2005 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium under the auspices of International Canoe Federation...

, 2007

2007 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

The 2007 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil under the auspices of International Canoe Federation.-Canoe:-Kayak:-Kayak:-Medals table:-References:***...

, 2010

2010 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

The 2010 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held 8–12 September 2010 at Tacen Whitewater Course, Slovenia under the auspices of International Canoe Federation for the record-tying third time...

, 2011

2011 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

The 2011 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were scheduled to take place from September 7–11, 2011 in Bratislava, Slovakia under the auspices of International Canoe Federation. Bad weather conditions on September 7 and 8 forced the organizers to make changes to the schedule. The events were all...

), and a bronze (C-1: 2009

2009 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

The 2009 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held on 9–13 September 2009 at Parc Olímpic del Segre in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain under the auspices of International Canoe Federation. La Seu d'Urgell hosted the event previously in 1999. A demonstration event for women's single seat Canadian took...

).

Benzien competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

. 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.

He resides in Leipzig

Leipzig

Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...

.