Tassilo Thierbach
{{Short description|German pair skater (1956–2025)}}
{{expand German|topic=bio|date=January 2022|Tassilo Thierbach}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox figure skater
|name= Tassilo Thierbach
|image= Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1982-0407-021, Sabine Baeß, Tassilo Thierbach (cropped) - Thierbach.jpg
|caption= Tassilo Thierbach, 1982
|country= East Germany
|birth_date= {{birth date|1956|5|21|df=yes}}
|birth_place= Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany
|death_date= {{death date and age|2025|4|19|1956|5|21|df=yes}}
|death_place= Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany
|residence=
|height= {{convert|5|ft|6.5|in|cm|0}}
|formerpartner= Sabine Baeß
|formercoach=
|formerchoreographer=
|skating club=
|retired= 1984
|show-medals= yes
|medaltemplates=
{{MedalCountry|{{GDR}}}}
{{MedalSport | Pairs' Figure skating}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalBronze| 1984 Ottawa|Pairs}}
{{MedalSilver| 1983 Helsinki|Pairs}}
{{MedalGold| 1982 Copenhagen|Pairs}}
{{MedalSilver| 1981 Hartford|Pairs}}
{{MedalBronze| 1979 Vienna|Pairs}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}
{{MedalSilver| 1984 Budapest|Pairs}}
{{MedalGold| 1983 Dortmund|Pairs}}
{{MedalGold| 1982 Lyon|Pairs}}
{{MedalBronze| 1979 Zagreb|Pairs}}
}}
Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-U1215-0046, Sabine Baeß, Tassilo Thierbach.jpg, 1979]]
Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1983-0329-026, Sabine Baeß, Tassilo Thierbach.jpg
Tassilo Thierbach (21 May 1956 – 19 April 2025) was a German pair skater. With partner Sabine Baeß, he was the 1982 World champion and a two-time European champion (1982, 1983).
Biography
Baeß and Thierbach were coached by Irene Salzmann in Karl-Marx-Stadt (today Chemnitz) and represented the club SC Karl-Marx-Stadt. They were the only figure skating pair representing East Germany to win the World or European championships.
All together, Thierbach skated with five partners: Romy Kermer (silver medallist at the Olympic Games with Rolf Österreich in 1976); Antje Heck; Petra Ronge; Sylvia Walter; and finally Sabine Baeß.
Baeß and Thierbach won their first European Championship, a bronze, in 1977 and their first World Championship medal, a bronze, in 1979.{{Cite book |last=Hines |first=James R. |title=Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating |date=2011 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6859-5 |location=Lanham, Maryland |page=30}} A mistake in the short program took them out of any chance of a medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid however, and they came in fifth overall.
They won both Europeans and Worlds in 1982, defeating the Soviet Union, on the basis of huge throws and consistency. They defended their European titles in 1983 but despite two clean programs at that year's World Championships were beaten by Russian newcomers Elena Valova and Oleg Vassiliev, whom they had just defeated at the Europeans and led after the short program here. This was a controversial result to many people as Elena put her hands down on a throw.
In 1980 he suffered a meniscus injury to his knee, for which surgery was necessary. For this reason Baeß and Thierbach had to miss the Nationals and the Europeans in 1981. They came in fourth place at the Sarajevo Olympics.
From 1977 to 1989, he was a Stasi informer under the codename "Gehrhard".[https://www.welt.de/sport/article6975617/Eiskunstlauf-Stasifall-sorgt-fuer-Erklaerungsnot.html Welt-Online: Eiskunstlauf-Stasifall sorgt für Erklärungsnot]
Thierbach ran the company Automaten Großaufstellung Tassilo Thierbach GmbH in Chemnitz. He also worked as figure skating coach in collaboration with Ingo Steuer in Chemnitz.
Thierbach died in Chemnitz on 19 April 2025, at the age of 68.{{Cite web |last=Kuhn |first=Henriette |date=24 April 2025 |title=Chemnitzer Eiskunstläufer Tassilo Thierbach ist tot: Er holte WM-Gold für die DDR |url=https://www.saechsische.de/sport/regional/chemnitzer-eiskunstlaeufer-tassilo-thierbach-ist-tot-er-holte-wm-gold-fuer-die-ddr-EXAOLXKAHJFUXE24QAMFIMHCS4.html |access-date=24 April 2025 |website=www.saechsische.de |language=de}}
Results
= With Baeß =
| class="wikitable" | |||||||||
| Event
! 1975-76 ! 1976-77 ! 1977-78 ! 1978-79 ! 1979-80 ! 1980-81 ! 1981-82 ! 1982-83 ! 1983-84 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | align="center" | 6th | align="center" | 4th | |||||||
| World Championships | align="center" | 5th | align="center" bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd | align="center" | 4th | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd | align="center" bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd | ||
| European Championships | align="center" | 5th | align="center" | 4th | align="center" bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd | align="center" | 4th | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd | ||
| East German Championships | align="center" bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd | align="center" bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | |
| Skate America | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st |
= With Heck =
- 1973 East German Championships: Bronze medalist with Antje Heck
References
{{commons category}}
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{SR/Olympics profile|th/tassilo-thierbach-1}}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsFigureSkatingPairs}}
{{NavigationEuropeanChampionsFigureSkatingPairs}}
{{NavigationSkateAmericaChampionsFigureSkatingPairs}}
{{NavigationEastGermanChampionsFigureSkatingPairs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thierbach, Tassilo}}
Category:Figure skaters from Chemnitz
Category:German male pair skaters
Category:Figure skaters at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Category:Figure skaters at the 1984 Winter Olympics
Category:Olympic figure skaters for East Germany
Category:East German male figure skaters
Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists
Category:European Figure Skating Championships medalists