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| KLEIBRINK Benjamin |
| NOC |
Germany
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| Gender | Men |
| Born |
30 Jul 1985
in Düsseldorf, FRG
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Sport Specific Information |
| Club / Team |
DFC Dusseldorf: Germany |
General Interest |
| Injuries |
In 2016 he suffered a traumatic brain injury after being attacked by a tourist outside a restaurant in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. He made his return to fencing in November 2016. (fechten.org, 12 Nov 2016; welt.de, 07 Jun 2016)
He missed the 2011 European Championships in Sheffield, England, due to a motorcycle accident that left him with an injured left shoulder. (sportal.de, 20 Apr 2011) |
| Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning an individual gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and a team bronze medal at the 2012 Games in London, and claiming his sixth national title in 2019. (stockheim-teamduesseldorf.de, 16 Apr 2019) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Why this sport? |
"I originally played roller hockey but when I was nine, I wanted to try something new so I began fencing. I do not remember the exact reason why. It was probably my mother's idea, but the decision was good. I like foil because it finds a middle ground between epee and sabre. Sabre is very fast, epee is more about patience and timing. Foil is somewhere in the middle, where you combine all the elements of fencing, both tactical and athletic." |
| Name of coach |
Ulrich Schreck [national], GER |
| Handedness |
Left |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began fencing in 1994 at Rheinisches Fencing Club in Dusseldorf, Germany. |
Further Personal Information |
| Occupation |
Athlete |
| Languages |
English, German |
General Interest |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"The most important thing about fencing is mental toughness, especially in decisive battles. It's just like a penalty shootout in football. It is also possible in fencing to be very successful without being the most talented, as long as you work hard." (sport1.de, 28 Apr 2010) |
| Other information |
RETIREMENT AND RETURN
In September 2012 he retired from the sport, citing the pressure of competing at elite level and a desire to build a new career away from sport. He went on to obtain an undergraduate degree in business law and a master's degree in business administration, and began working at an accountancy firm. He decided to return to fencing at the end of 2015. (sportstadt-duesseldorf.de, 16 Apr 2019; Reinische Post, 08 Feb 2016; taz.de, 03 Oct 2012; sportschau.de, 30 Sep 2012)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
He has served as a member of the athletes' commission of the International Fencing Federation [FIE]. (fie.org, 07 Oct 2017) |
Further Personal Information |
| Higher education |
Business Law - German Sport University Cologne: Germany |
General Interest |
| Hobbies |
Working out, going to the cinema. (stockheim-teamduesseldorf.de, 16 Apr 2019) |
| Milestones |
He became the first male German fencer to win gold in individual foil at the Olympic Games, when he triumphed at the 2008 Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Jul 2017; sport1.de, 28 Apr 2010) |
| Nicknames |
Benni (topsport-nrw.de, 31 Jan 2021) |
| Olympic Games |
| 2020 |
6 |
Team Foil |
Tokyo, Japan |
| 2012 |
3 |
Team Foil |
London, England |
| 2008 |
1 |
Individual Foil |
Beijing, China |
| World Championships |
| 2019 |
Final 7-8 |
Team Foil |
Budapest, Hungary |
| 2017 |
Final 5-6 |
Team Foil |
Leipzig, Germany |
| 2011 |
3 |
Team Foil |
Catania, Italy |
| 2010 |
5 |
Team Foil |
Paris, France |
| 2009 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Antalya, Turkey |
| 2008 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Beijing, China |
| 2007 |
2 |
Team Foil |
St. Petersburg, Russia |
| 2007 |
3 |
Individual Foil |
St. Petersburg, Russia |
| 2006 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Turin, Italy |
| 2006 |
5 |
Individual Foil |
Turin, Italy |
| 2005 |
3 |
Team Foil |
Leipzig, Germany |
| European Championships |
| 2019 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Düsseldorf, Germany |
| 2018 |
5 |
Team Foil |
Novi Sad, Serbia |
| 2017 |
4 |
Team Foil |
Tbilisi, Georgia |
| 2012 |
2 |
Individual Foil |
Legnano, Italy |
| 2010 |
7 |
Team Foil |
Leipzig, Germany |
| 2009 |
3 |
Team Foil |
Plovdiv, Bulgaria |
| 2007 |
1 |
Team Foil |
Ghent, Belgium |
| 2007 |
2 |
Individual Foil |
Ghent, Belgium |
| 2006 |
3 |
Individual Foil |
Izmir, Turkey |
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