- Zoltán Benkő
Zoltán Benkő (born 13 June 1983 in
Budapest ), is a Hungarian flatwater canoer and current (2006) European champion.In 2003, already regarded as one of Hungary's most promising young kayak stars, he competed in his first world championships in Gainesville, USA, finishing in twelfth place in the individual (K1) 1000m.
In 2004, he won his first senior gold medal as a member of the victorious Hungary K4 crew which took the 500m title at the European Championships in
Poznań , Poland.Later that summer, at the Athens Olympics, he partnered
István Beé in the K2, reaching the 1000m finalAfter the Olympics he returned to the K1 and took the 1000m silver medal at the European Championships. At the World Championship final in
Zagreb he just missed out on a medal, finishing in fourth place behind Australia'sNathan Baggaley who was to fail a drugs test shortly afterwards.Although Benkő was representing his country regularly in the K1 1000m he was still in the shadow of Hungary's top paddler
Akos Vereckei , the winner of five consecutive European K1 500m gold medals. However in 2006, Benkő defeated Vereckei at the national trials and displaced him as Hungary's K1 500m representative for the European Championships inRačice , Czech Republic. He justified his selection by winning the K1 500m gold medal at the first attempt. He also won another silver medal in the K1 1000m.Benkő is a member of the
Győri VSE club. He is 182cm (6'0") tall and weighs 82 kg (180 lbs}.His girlfriend Viktoria Schwarz from Linz (Austria) is also a flatwater canoer.
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