When he was six years old, Cerne was introduced to ice skating by his father, a former ice skater who had lost a leg in the war.[2] His skating club was Herner EV in Herne, Germany. He was coached by Günter Zöller and was a member of West Germany's national team in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His domestic rivals included Norbert Schramm and Heiko Fischer. He was most known for his elegant style, which emulated that of John Curry, and his strong edging.
Cerne won the German Figure Skating Championships in 1978 and 1980. Then, in 1981, a younger teammate, Norbert Schramm, emerged and went on to dominate not only the German Nationals but also various international competitions. Schramm won two consecutive world silver medals in 1982 and 1983 while Cerne could barely place in the top dozen, which prompted many to conclude that Cerne's career as the top West German male skater was over.
In 1984, however, 26-year-old Cerne entered the scene with a new attitude and consistent triple jumps due to intensive training. Most notably, Cerne had mastered the triple Lutz jump, which he needed in order to be technically competitive with Schramm as well as other top skaters.
Cerne received the bronze medal at the German Championships during his final two seasons, 1982–83 and 1983–84, but won silver at the 1984 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary, behind Alexandr Fadeev of the Soviet Union. He went on to finish 4th at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, having ranked third in the compulsory figures, sixth in the short program, and fourth in the free skate. After placing fifth at the 1984 World Championships, Cerne turned professional and skated with "Holiday on Ice". He also became a figure skating coach.
After ending his figure skating career, Cerne became a TV journalist, working initially for the German public TV station ARD, presenting sport shows from 1992 onwards. In 1996, he joined ZDF, Germany's other public broadcaster. He also presents Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst, a show about unresolved crimes, since 2002.[2]
West Germany
West Germany_-_Rudi_Cerne.jpg)
