Günter Perleberg
Günter Perleberg also spelled Günther; (17 March 1935 – 1 August 2019) was a German sprint canoeist who competed in the early 1960s.[1] Perleberg won two medals for East Germany at the 1963 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Jajce with a gold in the K-4 1000 m and a bronze in the K-1 4 × 500 m events.On the last day of the 1963 World Championships he defected to West Germany via Austria to be with his pregnant girlfriend in Havelse near Hanover.Perleberg's status as a Republikflüchtling ("deserter from the republic") caused considerable friction between the two German national committees for determining the United Team of Germany at the 1964 Summer Olympics.[1][2] He acted as an official for the canoeing association in Lower Saxony after his active career.