Hansjörg Knauthe won a silver medal in the 20 km and a bronze relay medal at the 1972 Sapporo Winter Games together with Joachim Meischner, Dieter Speer and Horst Koschka, finishing behind the Soviet Union and Finland. In 1968 he finished 21st in the 20 km event. In 1970 he won a relay bronze medal at the World Championships. On a national level, Knauthe raced on five consecutive national relay champions (1967-71) with SG Dynamo Zinnwald, and won one individual title, in the 20 km in 1969, adding silver medals in that event in 1966 and 1969-71.
Knauthe was educated at the Deutsche Hochschule für Körperkultur (DHfK) Leipzig (German High School for Sports Culture), graduating as a sports teacher, but after German reunification he became a personal and property protector at the Saxon State Chancellery.
East Germany