Benjamin Steffan

Benjamin Steffan (born 12 January 1996) is a German ice dancer. With his skating partner, Jennifer Janse van Rensburg, he is a five-time ISU Challenger Series medalist and five time German national champions (2022–26). Janse van Rensburg/Steffan represented Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

With his previous skating partners Sandrine Hofstetter and Leah Steffan, he is a three-time German junior national bronze medalist.

Steffan was born on January 12, 1996 in Chemnitz, Germany. His younger sister, Leah, is also a former competitive ice dancer.^[1]

He and his wife, Patricia, welcomed a son, Leon, in March 2025.^[2][3]

Originally a hockey player, Steffan decided to switch to ice dancing in 2006 at the age of ten.^[4] His first ice dance coach was Annerose Wetzel and he was briefly partnered with Camilla Barth for a short period. Steffan would eventually decide to team up with his sister, Leah, in 2012, and the siblings were coached by Susan Fichtelmann in Chemnitz.^[1][5] Together, the siblings would win bronze at the 2014 and 2015 German Junior Championships.^[6] Their partnership would dissolve, however, following the 2014–15 figure skating season, with Leah electing to retire from competing.^[7]

Steffan would eventually team up with Sandrine Hofstetter during the 2015–16 figure skating season. The team were coached by Alexander Gazsi in Duebendorf, Switzerland. Together, they would win bronze at the 2016 German Junior Championships before parting ways after the season ended.^[8]

Prior to the 2016–17 figure skating season, it was announced that Steffan had teamed with fellow German ice dancer, Jennifer Janse van Rensburg and that the duo would train in Oberstdorf under coaches, Rostislav Sinicyn and Natalia Karamysheva.^[9][10] For the first few seasons of their career, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan competed at various ISU Challenger Series events. They won their first national medal together, a bronze, at the 2019 German Championships and won their first international medal together, a silver, at the 2019 Bavarian Open. The following year, they would win silver at the 2020 German Championships.^[9]

Janse van Rensburg/Steffan only competed at two events that season, medalling at both. They would win gold at the 2020 Santa Claus Cup and silver at the 2021 Egna Dance Trophy.^[9]

Janse van Rensburg/Steffan started the season by competing at the 2021 Lake Placid Ice Dance International. Going on to compete on the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series, the duo finished seventh at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy, tenth at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, and seventh at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria.^[9]

Assigned to an event on the 2021–22 Grand Prix circuit for the first time, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan finished tenth at the 2021 Internationaux de France.^[9]

In December, they won their first national title at the 2022 German Championships. They would then close the season by winning gold at the 2022 Bavarian Open and the 2022 Egna Dance Trophy.^[9]

Assigned to compete at 2022 Skate America, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan started the season by finishing ninth at the event. They would then compete on the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series, finishing winning silver at the 2022 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge and the 2022 CS Warsaw Cup as well as sixth at the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.^[9]

At the 2023 German Championships in January, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan won their second national title. For the first time, they were selected to represent Germany as a team at the European and World Championships. Going on to compete at the 2023 European Championships in Espoo, Finland, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan finished in ninth place. One week following the event, they won gold at the 2023 Bavarian Open for a second consecutive time.^[9]

In March, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan competed at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Japan. They would finish the event in fifteenth place.^[9]

Janse van Rensburg/Steffan began the season by competing on the 2023–24 ISU Challenger Series, finishing fourth at the 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy and fourth at the 2023 CS Budapest Trophy. Assigned to two Grand Prix events for the first time, they would finish eighth at 2023 Skate Canada International and ninth at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo. Between these events, they would also take silver at the 2023 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge.^[9]

After winning their third national title at the 2024 German Championships, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan were selected to compete at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, where they finished eleventh.^[9]

At the end of January, Rensburg/Steffan took gold at the 2024 Bavarian Open. Two months later, they competed at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where they would finish in twenty-second place.^[9]

Beginning their season on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan finished seventh at the 2024 NHK Trophy. They went on to compete on the 2024–25 Challenger Series, placing sixth at the 2024 CS Warsaw Cup and winning bronze at the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.^[9]

After winning a fourth consecutive national title at the 2025 German Championships, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan followed this up by winning gold at the 2025 Bavarian Open.^[9]

Going on to compete at the 2025 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan earned personal best scores in all competition segments and finished in eleventh place overall. They subsequently won the bronze medal at the Road to 26 Trophy in Milan, Italy, a test event for the 2026 Winter Olympics.^[9]

The pair ended the season by competing at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, where they finished sixteenth overall.^[9] With this placement, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan's placement won Germany a quota for ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics.^[11]

Janse van Renseburg/Steffan opened the season with a fourth-place finish at the 2025 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. They went on to compete on the 2025–26 Grand Prix series, finishing eighth at 2025 Skate Canada International and seventh at the 2025 NHK Trophy. The duo then continued competing on the 2025–26 Challenger Series, finishing fifth at the 2025 CS Warsaw Cup and winning silver at the 2025 CS Tallinn Trophy.^[9]

In December, they competed at the 2026 German Championships, where they won their fifth consecutive national title.^[9]

Although assigned to compete at the 2026 European Championshops, Janse van Rensburg/Steffan withdrew two days before the rhythm dance due to health reasons.^[12]

• Jennifer Janse van Rensburg & Benjamin Steffan at the International Skating Union
• Jennifer Janse van Rensburg & Benjamin Steffan at Skating Scores
• Sandrine Hofstetter & Benjamin Steffan at the International Skating Union
• Sandrine Hofstetter & Benjamin Steffan at Skating Scores
• Leah Steffan & Benjamin Steffan at the International Skating Union
• Leah-Magdalena Steffan & Benjamin Steffan at Skating Scores
• Camilla Barht & Benjamin Steffan at the International Skating Union
• Camilla Barht & Benjamin Steffan at Skating Scores
• Benjamin Steffan at Milano Cortina 2026
• Benjamin Steffan at Olympics.com
• Benjamin Steffan at Olympedia
• Benjamin Steffan at Team Deutschland (in German)
• Benjamin Steffan on Instagram