Dieter Speer

Dieter Speer (born 24 February 1942) is a former East German biathlete.

He was the first German to hold the title when he became world champion in biathlon in 1971, beating the outstanding Alexander Tikhonov over 20 kilometres. Tikhonov could be said to be partly responsible for Speer's success, since the rifle was a gift from Tikhonov.

Speer was able to return the favour a year later at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, lending Tikhonov his ski when the latter fell during the relay and broke a ski. In that event, the Russians won, and the East German team only got a bronze medal.

Biathlon results All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.

Olympic Games 1 medal (1 bronze) EventIndividualRelay 1968 Grenoble 18th 6th 1972 Sapporo 13th Bronze

World Championships 3 medals (1 gold, 2 bronze) EventIndividualRelay 1969 Zakopane 21st 5th 1970 Östersund 4th Bronze 1971 Hämeenlinna Gold 10th 1973 Lake Placid 13th Bronze During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.