| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Full name | Carola•Zirzow (-Drechsler) |
| Used name | Carola•Zirzow |
| Born | 15 September 1954 in Prenzlau, Brandenburg (GER) |
| Measurements | 178 cm / 78 kg |
| Affiliations | SC Neubrandenburg, Neubrandenburg (GER) |
| NOC |  East Germany |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 1 |
| Silver | 0 |
| Bronze | 1 |
| Total | 2 |
Flatwater canoeist Carloa Zirzow won the bronze medal at the 1976 Montréal Olympics, partnering Bärbel Köster in the K-2 500, and the gold medal in the K-1 500. Zirzow also won three gold medals at World Championships, in the K-4 500 (1974-75) and K-2 500 (1974). She qualified for the Montréal Games as the East German national K-1 500 champion.
Directly after her winning her Olympic gold, Zirzow did not return to the Olympic village, but stayed with her then-boyfriend, Oreste Perri, overnight. Manfred Ewald, the highest sports administrator of the former GDR, decided to end her career, and she was not allowed to continue as a canoeist. She then trained as a physiotherapist, and later worked as assistant to her husband in his ENT physician’s practice.
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 Summer Olympics | Canoe Sprint (Canoeing) | GDR |
Carola Zirzow | |||
| Kayak Singles (K1), 500 metres, Women (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| Kayak Doubles (K2), 500 metres, Women (Olympic) | Bärbel Köster | 3 | Bronze |
| Games | Date | Sport | Event | Phase | Mark | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 Summer Olympics | 28 July 1976 | Canoe Sprint (Canoeing) | Kayak Doubles (K2), 500 metres, Women | Round One, Heat #2 | 1:52.97 | 1 |
| 1976 Summer Olympics | 30 July 1976 | Canoe Sprint (Canoeing) | Kayak Singles (K1), 500 metres, Women | Final Round | 2:01.05 | 1 |
| 1976 Summer Olympics | 30 July 1976 | Canoe Sprint (Canoeing) | Kayak Doubles (K2), 500 metres, Women | Semi-Finals, Heat #2 | 1:50.56 | 1 |
