He was coached by Günter Zöller and was a member of West Germany's national team in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Then, in 1981, a younger teammate, Norbert Schramm, emerged and went on to dominate not only the German Nationals but also various international competitions.

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.

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.