Tim Dieck

Early career

Dieck started skating in 2000 and took up ice dancing in 2011.^[3] He skated with Dana Wehner in the 2011–12 season. They placed ninth at the 2012 German Junior Championships.^[6]

In 2012–13, Dieck began competing with Florence Clarke. They were fifth at the 2013 German Junior Championships. The following season, they debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing ninth in Riga, Latvia and fifteenth in Gdańsk, Poland. They were also assigned to the 2014 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, but were eliminated after placing twenty-seventh in the short dance.^[7] Clarke decided to retire at the end of the season.^[8][9]

2014–15 season: Debut of Müller/Dieck

Vitali Schulz arranged a tryout between Dieck and Katharina Müller.^[9] They teamed up in April 2014, coached by Schulz und James Young in Dortmund.^[3] Assigned to two Junior Grand Prix events, they placed eighth in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and seventh in Aichi, Japan. After winning the 2015 German junior national title, they were sent to the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia; ranked thirteenth in the short dance, they qualified for the final segment and finished twelfth overall.

2015–16 season: Senior international debut

Competing in the Challenger Series (CS), Müller/Dieck finished tenth in September at the 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy – their first senior international – and eighth the following month at the 2015 Mordovian Ornament. In November, they won bronze at the 2015 NRW Trophy before appearing at their third CS event, the 2015 Tallinn Trophy, where they placed fifth. They were awarded the silver medal at the German Championships in December, having finished second to Lorenz/Polizoakis, and took bronze at the Toruń Cup. Müller/Dieck were included in Germany's team to the 2016 European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, but were eliminated after placing twenty-third in the short dance.^[10]

In spring 2016, Müller/Dieck began training under Marina Zueva in Canton, Michigan, in addition to Schulz and Young in Dortmund.^[3]

2016–17 season

Müller/Dieck competed at two Challenger events, placing twelfth at the 2016 CS U.S. Classic and ninth at the 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. They won gold at the NRW Trophy for the first time, and were the German national silver medalists for the second consecutive year.^[11]

2017–18 season

Competing three times on the Challenger series, Müller/Dieck were fifth at the 2017 CS Warsaw Cup, sixth at the 2017 CS Ice Star, and eleventh at the 2017 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. They won the silver medal at the German championships for the third consecutive year.^[11]

2018–19 season

Again competing on the Challenger series three times, Müller/Dieck were seventh at both the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb and ninth at the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy. They were invited to make their Grand Prix debut, placing seventh at the 2018 Skate America and tenth at the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki. NRW Trophy champions for the second time, they then won their fourth consecutive silver medal at the German championships.^[11]

2019–20 season: First German national title

Müller/Dieck's three Challenger competitions for the year were the 2019 CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial, the 2019 CS Ice Star and the 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they placed eighth, sixth and sixth, respectively. They did not return to the Grand Prix, but won the inaugural Denis Ten Memorial Challenge and the Open d'Andorra, followed by becoming German national champions for the first time.^[11]

Müller/Dieck attended the European Championships for the first time in four seasons, placing thirteenth.^[11] They were supposed to make their World Championship debut at the 2020 edition in Montreal, but these were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[12]

2020–21 season

Despite the continued limitations of the pandemic on international competition, Müller/Dieck won their first Challenger medal, a silver at the 2020 CS Budapest Trophy, as well as their third gold medal at the NRW Trophy. Repeating as German national champions, they went on to make their World Championship debut at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, where they came in eighteenth.^[11] This result qualified a berth for a German ice dance team at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.^[13]

2021–22 season: Beijing Olympics and End of Müller/Dieck

Müller/Dieck began the season at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, winning the silver medal. Dieck noted that it was "always special to win a medal in Germany," while Müller said, "we were not competing for an Olympic spot here, but it was important to us for our national qualification and to prove that we are ready and want to go to the Olympic Games."^[14] They came ninth at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy.^[11]

Initially assigned to the 2021 Cup of China on the Grand Prix, upon its cancellation Müller/Dieck were reassigned to the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia.^[15] They finished in eighth place.^[16] They were sixth at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria and second at the Open d'Andorra.^[11]

Despite losing the German national title to rivals Janse van Rensburg/Steffan, Müller/Dieck were named to the German Olympic team. They first competed at the 2022 European Championships, finishing in twelfth place.^[11]

Müller/Dieck began the 2022 Winter Olympics as the German entries in the rhythm dance segment of the Olympic team event, where they finished tenth among ten.^[17] In the dance event, they were twenty-first in the rhythm dance, missing the cut for the free dance.^[18]

The team encountered new difficulties following the Olympics, as Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and resultant tensions between Russia and Germany resulted in their being unable to return to their Moscow training location.^[19] Dieck and Müller separated after the season ended.^[20]

2023–24 season: Debut of Smart/Dieck

Following the end of his partnership with Müller, Dieck connected with Anglo-Spanish ice dancer Olivia Smart. The two explored representing either Germany or Spain, but the Spanish Ice Sports Federation offered superior financial support and they requested Dieck be released by the German Ice Skating Union.^[21] The release was granted in December 2022, and it was announced that they would begin training in April 2023 in Montreal under Smart's longtime coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.^[20]

Smart/Dieck made their international competitive debut at the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International, coming fourth. They went on to finish fourth as well at the 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy.^[22] Making their Grand Prix debut as a team at the 2023 Skate America, Smart/Dieck placed sixth.^[23] They were then eighth at the 2023 Grand Prix de France.^[24]

Competing at their first Spanish Championships in December, Smart/Dieck won the gold medal over rivals Val/Kazimov.^[25] Despite this, it was initially announced by the Spanish federation that Val/Kazimov would represent the country at the 2024 European and World Championships. Following controversy around the criteria used to arrive at this result, on December 27 the Spanish federation announced that Smart/Dieck would instead be given the country's lone World Championship berth.^[26][27]

Smart/Dieck won the silver medal at the International Challenge Cup in February.^[22] At the World Championships, held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the home of the team's training base, Smart/Dieck were fifteenth in the rhythm dance and qualified to the free dance.^[28] An error on their dance spin saw them finish twentieth among twenty teams in the free dance, dropping to nineteenth overall. Smart remarked that the mistake "fits within this season full of ups and downs, which we accept as a lesson we have to learn"^[29]

2024–25 season: Dune and Grand Prix bronze

When preparing their programs for the new season, Smart suggested for their free program Hans Zimmer's Dune soundtrack, explaining later that "it gave me a feeling I wanted to feel... I wanted something that gave me goosebumps, something that made me feel that type of way." They were the only ice dance team to use that music during the season.^[30]

Smart and Dieck began the season on the Challenger circuit with a sixth-place finish at the 2024 Nebelhorn Trophy.^[22] On the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, their first assignment was the 2024 Skate America, they finished fifth in the short program, having lost a twizzle level and receiving only a level one on their pattern steps. However, they came third in the free dance with a new personal best (118.45), and rose to third overall to claim the bronze medal. Smart said that the free dance score made her feel that "finally all our hard work had paid off. Of course there were plenty of doubts." Smart also debuted a new Dune-themed free dance costume at Skate America that had been designed by friend and training partner Madison Chock, saying later "I should have gone to her in the first place." Both the costuming and the program would garner acclaim at the event.^[31] One week later, Smart/Dieck won a bronze medal at the 2024 CS Nepela Memorial, their second Challenger appearance. ^[22] Going on to compete at the 2024 Cup of China, Smart and Dieck were fifth in the rhythm dance and third in the free dance, as at Skate America, but this time finishing fourth overall.^[32]

In December, Smart/Dieck won their second consecutive national title at the 2025 Spanish Championships.^[22] The following month they made their European Championship debut at the 2025 edition in Tallinn, Estonia. During a practice session, the team had a collision with Israeli dancers Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexei Kiliakov; while Dieck hit his head on the ice, Kiliakov was cut on the leg and as a result the Israelis withdrew from the event. Smart/Dieck came seventh in the rhythm dance, fifth in the free dance, and finished fifth overall. The Dune program again received a strong reception, Dieck observing that "the audience was incredible. Like, they were so into it. At the quiet parts of the music, you could have heard a pin drop."^[33]

At the 2025 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Smart/Dieck placed eighth in the rhythm dance (77.21), setting a new personal best. In the free dance they set another best score of 123.71, which placed third in the segment, elevating them to sixth place overall. They received a bronze small medal for the free dance, a first for a Spanish dance team. Smart said afterward that while they were considering another idea for an Olympic season free dance, it was also possible that they would retain the Dune program for the next season, remarking "we need to weigh our options carefully."^[34] They also talked about the evolution of their partnership, the deep trust they’ve built, their connection, and insight into their training process.^[35] They subsequently received the award for Best Costume at the 2025 ISU Skating Awards.^[36]

2025–26 season: Milano Cortina Olympics

For the upcoming season, Smart/Dieck announced that they planned to continue performing to the music of Dune for their free dance and that they would "revamp" the program by skating to different tracks from the movies.^[37] "We elevated our elements from last season; the transitions are much harder, so we need to build the stamina to skate it cleanly," explained Dieck.^[38]

They began the season in late September by winning gold at the 2025 CS Nepela Memorial. The following month, they started competing on the 2025–26 Grand Prix series, finishing fourth at the 2025 Cup of China.^[39] "It wasn't our best skate, but it was decent," said Dieck of the Free Dance. "We felt a few little wobbles, maybe not even visible, but the goal was to come as close as possible to how we train, and it was almost there."^[38]

The following month, Smart and Dieck placed fourth at 2025 Finlandia Trophy. "Today felt good," said Smart after the Free Dance. "We went out there and did what we could today where we are in this part of the season. They were tough on technique here this week from the Rhythm Dance and the Free Dance. We knew we could be up there in the top three on the podium."^[40]

In January, Smart and Dieck competed at the 2026 European Championships where they found themselves in tenth place after the rhythm dance. “This score wasn’t what we hoped for,” said Smart. “We definitely want to push more towards the 80s and compete with the top teams."^[41] They went on to place fifth in the free dance with a new season's best, and moved up to seventh place overall. "We don’t want to be known as a free dance team," said Smart after the Free Dance. "We want to be up there in the rhythm dance and up there in the free. And yesterday that could have been possible. We could have been closer to the 80s."^[41]

In February, Smart and Dieck competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics where they earned a new personal best score in both the Rhythm Dance and Total Score to finish ninth. “We just finished on an absolute high at our first Olympics together,” said Dieck of their future. “Worlds are next, and then we’ll see what next season holds. But we’ve definitely said we want to continue. We’re taking it season by season.”^[42][43]

Ice dance with Olivia Smart (for Spain)

With Müller

With Clarke

Ice dance with Olivia Smart (for Spain)

With Müller for Germany

With Clarke for Germany

With Wehner for Germany

Ice dance with Olivia Smart (for Spain)

More information Date, Event ...

Results in the 2025–26 season ^[39]

Date	Event	RD		FD		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Sep 25–27, 2025	2025 CS Nepela Memorial	2	74.44	1	118.23	1	192.67
Oct 24–26, 2025	2025 Cup of China	6	67.37	3	120.14	4	187.51
Nov 21–23, 2025	2025 Finlandia Trophy	4	76.07	4	115.99	4	192.06
Nov 25–30, 2025	2025 CS Tallinn Trophy	4	73.03	1	119.64	1	192.67
Dec 11–14, 2025	2026 Spanish Championships	1	79.18	1	128.71	1	207.89
Jan 13–18, 2026	2026 European Championships	10	75.17	5	121.27	7	196.44
Feb 9-11, 2026	2026 Winter Olympics	10	78.53	6	122.96	9	201.49

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