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| STEFFEN Benjamin |
| NOC |
Switzerland
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| Gender | Men |
| Born |
08 Mar 1982
in Basel, SUI
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| Height | 1.89 m |
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Sport Specific Information |
| Club / Team |
Fechtgesellschaft Basel: Switzerland |
General Interest |
| Hobbies |
Reading, listening to music, sport. (Facebook page, 17 Jun 2019) |
| Injuries |
A foot injury meant he had to pull out of the team competition at the 2021 World Cup event in Kazan, Russian Federation. (Fechtgesellschaft Basel Facebook page, 27 Mar 2021)
In August 2005 he tore both cruciate ligaments and the lateral ligament in his left knee. He was unable to compete for eight months. (benisteffen.ch, 01 Jan 2012) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Why this sport? |
His brother started fencing and got him involved in the sport. |
General Interest |
| Hero / Idol |
Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, US boxer Muhammad Ali, US basketball player Michael Jordan. (benisteffen.ch, 23 Jul 2019) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Name of coach |
Silvio Fernandez [national]; Paul Fausser [national] |
| Handedness |
Left |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began fencing in 1989. |
Further Personal Information |
| Languages |
English, German |
| Residence |
Basel, SUI |
General Interest |
| Awards and honours |
He received the Challenge Eugene Empeyta Award from the Swiss Fencing Federation in recognition of his results at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (swiss-fencing.ch, 25 Feb 2017)
In 2012 and 2016 he was named Sportsman of the Year in Basel, Switzerland. (bzbasel.ch, 10 Jan 2017, 13 Jan 2013) |
Further Personal Information |
| Occupation |
Athlete |
General Interest |
| Most influential person in career |
Coaches Manfred Beckmann and Gianni Muzio. (bernerzeitung.ch, 29 Dec 2020; benisteffen.ch, 23 Jul 2019; fencingeuro2015.com, 10 Jun 2015) |
| Nicknames |
Beni, Benji, Bensel (fechtgesellschaftbasel.ch, 2015) |
Further Personal Information |
| Higher education |
Physical Education - University of Basel: Switzerland |
General Interest |
| Ambitions |
To win a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (bernerzeitung.ch, 29 Dec 2020) |
| Other information |
RETIREMENT PLANS
He intends to retire after competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he is aiming for gold in both individual and team epee. He feels he still has unfinished business at the Olympic Games, having placed fourth in individual epee at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I still have a bill open with my fourth place in Rio. I feel in better shape than in the first two years after Rio. But then it is enough. Finally, there should also be something else happening in my life. I couldn't have borne it if I had to watch my teammates in Tokyo on the sofa at home. Especially since I contributed a lot to this Olympic starting place." (bernerzeitung.ch, 29 Dec 2020; benisteffen.ch, 23 Jul 2019; suedostschweiz.ch, 09 Jun 2019; coopzeitung.ch, 12 Mar 2018)
OCCUPATION
He teaches physical education and English at a grammar school in Basel, Switzerland. (bernerzeitung.ch, 29 Dec 2020) |
| Famous relatives |
His wife Isabelle Forrer represented Switzerland in beach volleyball at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. His twin sister Tabea Steffen competed for Switzerland in fencing, and was a travelling reserve for the women's epee team that won silver at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. (bernerzeitung.ch, 29 Dec 2020; Isabelle Forrer Twitter profile, 08 Mar 2020) |
Further Personal Information |
| Family |
Wife Isabelle Forrer, one son |
| Olympic Games |
| 2020 |
Classification Round 5-8 |
Team Epee |
Tokyo, Japan |
| 2016 |
4 |
Individual Epee |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 2016 |
Final 5-6 |
Team Epee |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| World Championships |
| 2018 |
1 |
Team Epee |
Wuxi, China |
| 2018 |
7 |
Individual Epee |
Wuxi, China |
| 2017 |
2 |
Team Epee |
Leipzig, Germany |
| 2014 |
3 |
Team Epee |
Kazan, Russia |
| 2012 |
5 |
Team Epee |
Kiev, Ukraine |
| 2011 |
3 |
Team Epee |
Catania, Italy |
| 2009 |
5 |
Team Epee |
Antalya, Turkey |
| European Championships |
| 2019 |
Final 5-6 |
Team Epee |
Düsseldorf, Germany |
| 2018 |
4 |
Team Epee |
Novi Sad, Serbia |
| 2017 |
Final 7-8 |
Team Epee |
Tbilisi, Georgia |
| 2013 |
1 |
Team Epee |
Zagreb, Croatia |
| 2013 |
6 |
Individual Epee |
Zagreb, Croatia |
| 2010 |
4 |
Team Epee |
Leipzig, Germany |
| 2009 |
2 |
Team Epee |
Plovdiv, Bulgaria |
| 2007 |
5 |
Team Epee |
Ghent, Belgium |
| 2006 |
6 |
Team Epee |
Izmir, Turkey |
| 2004 |
1 |
Team Epee |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 2003 |
4 |
Team Epee |
Bourges, France |
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