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Benjamin Kudjow Thomas Boukpeti (born August 4, 1981) is a French-born Togolese slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 2003 to 2012.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Competing in three Summer Olympics, Boukpeti won a bronze medal in the K1 event in Beijing in 2008,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and remains Togo's first and only Olympic medalist. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Early lifeEdit
Born in Lagny-sur-Marne, France to a French mother, he holds dual Togolese-French citizenship and chose to represent Togo, the country of his father, in Olympic competition. He began kayaking at age 10.<ref>Benjamin, lui, vit à Toulouse, où il vient de terminer des études de management.
A l'âge de 10 ans, il plonge dans un kayak, pagaie dans les trois disciplines, le slalom, la ligne et la descente non-olympique.
Cinq ans après, il opte pour le slalom, "un jeu qui demande de l'habileté. A côté, le canoë en ligne était rébarbatif, peu ludique".
Barré par la densité de kayakistes en France, il choisit alors de naviguer pour le Togo même s'il reste proche des Bleus. D'ailleurs, lors des récentes sélections olympiques qui ont désigné le sélectionné tricolore, Boukpeti avait terminé cinquième.</ref> His elder brother Olivier is a member of the French flatwater canoeing team.<ref name="latribune.fr">La Tribune (France): Benjamin Boukpeti, héros togolais, avec le bronze en kayak</ref>
Canoeing careerEdit
Competing in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, he placed fifteenth in the first heat of the Men's K1 event to become the first Togolese to reach an Olympic semifinal, but only ranked eighteenth in the semifinal run and did not advance to the final.
In January 2008, Boukpeti placed first at the African Championships.<ref name="latribune.fr"/>
In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, Boukpeti led after the semifinal, eventually claiming the Bronze medal in the K1 event, the first ever Olympic medal for Togo.<ref>Togo paddler tops Men's Slalom K1 semi Template:Webarchive. Beijing 2008. 2008-08-12</ref><ref>Olympic Medal: M K1 Slalom. UPI.com. 2008-08-12</ref> After clinching his medal Boukpeti snapped his paddle over his kayak in celebration.
Following his Olympic success, Togolese Olympics fans expressed an interest in meeting him, as he was mostly unknown in Togo, only having visited that nation once, during his childhood.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Boukpeti failed to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London after he was beaten by Jonathan Akinyemi at the African Championships.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, Boukpeti received a wild card and was able to enter the event. Once again he managed to qualify for the final run of the K1 event where he finished in 10th place.
He recently completed management studies in Toulouse, France, where he lives.<ref name="latribune.fr"/>
World Cup individual podiumsEdit
| Season | Date | Venue | Position | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 27 Jan 2008 | Sagana | 1st | K11 |
- 1 African Championship counting for World Cup points
CommitmentEdit
Boukpeti is a member of the 'Champions for Peace' club, a group of more than 90 famous elite created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization placed under the High Patronage of H.S.H Prince Albert II. This group of top level champions, wish to make sport a tool for dialogue and social cohesion. http://www.peace-sport.org/our-champions-of-peace/
ReferencesEdit
- "Boukpeti: Togo's hero in Olympics", Xinhua, August 12, 2008
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