# Gabi Lohs-Kühn

**Gabi Lohs-Kühn** (full name Gabriele "Gabi" Lohs-Kühn) is a German rower, born in 1957 in Dresden, who won two Olympic gold medals for East Germany: in the women's coxed fours at the 1976 Montréal Games and, under her married name Gabi Kühn, in the women's eights at the 1980 Moskva Games.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957 in Dresden, Sachsen<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> |
| Club | SC Einheit Dresden, Dresden<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> |
| Measurements | 184 cm / 86 kg<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> |
| 1976 Montréal | Gold, women's coxed fours; the first female rowing gold for East Germany<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> |
| 1980 Moskva | Gold, women's eights, competing as Gabi Kühn<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> |
| World titles | Gold in the eights at the 1977 World Championships, silver in 1978<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> |

## Early career
Lohs began as a sculler and won the East German youth national title with the quadruple sculls in 1972, regaining it in 1975; in 1975 she also won at the Spartakiade and at the East German junior championships.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup>

## 1976 Montréal Olympics
The first decision raced was the coxed four, won by the Dresden boat, which gave East Germany its first Olympic gold medal in women's rowing.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> In the round one heat on 19 July 1976 the crew set an Olympic record of 3:22.55 over the 1,000 m course.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> L'Équipe records the final winning time as 3:45.08 on 1 August 1976.<sup>[2](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/gabriele-lohs/75906)</sup>

## World championships and the move to the eights
In 1977 all five rowers from the gold-medal four sat in the East German eight that won the World Championships in Amsterdam, the third consecutive world title for the boat class.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> That year Lohs also won the East German national title with the eights.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> After her marriage in 1978 she competed as Gabi Kühn and was the only member of the 1977 world-champion crew rowing in the East German eight that took the silver medal at the 1978 World Championships in New Zealand, behind the Soviet Union.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup>

## 1980 Moskva Olympics
For the 1980 season coach [Dieter Grahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/dieter-grahn) reshuffled the East German eight. L'Équipe records the winning time as 3:03.32 on 3 August 1980.<sup>[2](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/gabriele-lohs/75906)</sup>

## Later life
Kühn studied civil engineering and worked at the Dresden branch of VEB Spezialhochbau Berlin, an East German specialized construction enterprise.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> She is the stepmother of Olympic rowing coxswain [Pete Cipollone](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-cipollone).<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)</sup> In the FISA all-time [Olympic medal table](https://www.edgepedia.org/olympic-medal-table) for women rowers (since 1976), Gabriele Kühn-Lohs appears among the athletes with two gold medals, listed for the coxed four and the eight.<sup>[3](https://d2cx26qpfwuhvu.cloudfront.net/worldrowing/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/04182217/110603-2011_media_guide_interactif_English.pdf)</sup>

## References

1. [Gabi Lohs-Kühn, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37546)
2. [Gabriele Lohs, L'Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/gabriele-lohs/75906)
3. [FISA 2011 Media Guide: Olympic Games Historical Results](https://d2cx26qpfwuhvu.cloudfront.net/worldrowing/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/04182217/110603-2011_media_guide_interactif_English.pdf)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Water sports › Rowers and coxswains › German women's rowers of the GDR era*

*Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license