Tassilo Thierbach

East German figure skater Tassilo Thierbach partnered Sabine Baeß in the pairs event. Both placed sixth and fourth at the 1980 Lake Placid and 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games, respectively, but they were much more successful at World and European Championships, winning a World gold in 1982, two silvers in 1981 and 1983, and two bronzes in 1979 and 1984. At the Europeans they earned golds in 1982 and 1983, a silver in 1984, and a bronze in 1979. Both were the only East German pairs skaters to win European and World titles.

Domestically, Baeß and Thierbach won the East German nationals in 1979-80, and 1982-84. After German reunification it became known that Thierbach was active as an informal employee (“Informeller Mitarbeiter”) for the State Security Ministry (Stasi) and had spied on prominent East German figure skaters such as Katharina Witt and Anett Pötzsch. He worked in the automotive sector and part-time as a figure skating coach.