Benjamin Kudjow Thomas Boukpeti (born August 4, 1981) is a French-born, Togolese slalom canoer who has competed professionally since the early 2000s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a bronze in the K-1 event at Beijing in 2008. Boukepti was the first athlete from Togo to win an Olympic medal.
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 fathe...
more
Benjamin Kudjow Thomas Boukpeti (born August 4, 1981) is a French-born, Togolese slalom canoer who has competed professionally since the early 2000s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a bronze in the K-1 event at Beijing in 2008. Boukepti was the first athlete from Togo to win an Olympic medal.
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. His elder brother Olivier is a member of the French flatwater canoeing team.
Competing in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, he received fifteenth place in the first heat of the Men's K1 Kayak Single to become the first Togolese to reach an Olympic semi final, but only achieved eighteenth place in that race and did not advance.
In January 2008, Boukpeti placed first at the African Championships.
In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, Boukpeti led after the semifinal, eventually...
less
