Dettlef Günther (sometimes shown as Detlef Günther, born 27 August 1954 in Erlabrunn, Saxony) is an East German former luger who competed from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. He won the gold medal in the men's singles event at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, Günther was favored to repeat after leading the first two runs, but crashed at the end of the third run causing him to lose three seconds and settling for fourth in the standings.

Günther also won the gold medal in the men's singles event at the 1979 FIL World Luge Championships in Königssee, West Germany. He also won two medals in the men's singles event at the FIL European Luge Championships with a gold in 1975 and a silver in 1979.

Dettlef Günther

References

Wallenchinsky, David. (1984). "Men's Singles Luge". In The Complete Book of the Olympics: 1896–1980. New York: Penguin Books. p. 576.

Dettlef Günther

1954 births

Living people

German male lugers

Lugers at the 1976 Winter Olympics

Lugers at the 1980 Winter Olympics

Olympic gold medalists for East Germany

Olympic lugers for East Germany

East German male lugers

Olympic medalists in luge

Medalists at the 1976 Winter Olympics

People of the Stasi

People from Erzgebirgskreis

Sportspeople from Saxony

People from Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt

Dettlef Günther