Cerne received the bronze medal at the German Championships during his final two seasons, 1982–83 and 1983–84, but won silver at the 1984 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary, behind Alexandr Fadeev of the Soviet Union. 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. After placing fifth at the 1984 World Championships, Cerne turned professional and skated with "Holiday on Ice". He also became a figure skating coach.