When Matthias Steiner battled personal tragedy to win gold for Germany in Beijing 

German weightlifter Matthias Steiner won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the +105kg category, he lifted a total of 461 kg (203 kg in snatch and 258 kg in clean and jerk).

He left behind Russia’s Evgeny Chigishev, who won the silver medal by lifting a total of 460 kg (210 in snatch and 250 in clean and jerk). Latvia’s Viktors Scerbatihs bagged the bronze medal with a total of 448 kg (206 in snatch and 242 in clean and jerk).

While Steiner had every reason to cheer after he finished on top, he had to go through a personal tragedy before he took part in the quadrennial event. On July 16, 2007, Steiner’s wife, Susann, passed away in a car accident. After the incident, the weightlifter lost 7-8 kgs, but he was able to continue his training for the Olympics.

Meanwhile, after he won gold in Beijing, Steiner carried the picture of her late wife, Susann to the podium. In October 2008, Steiner crossed paths with Inge Posmyk, a German TV newsreader, after which they married in February 2011.

“There was so much emotion that I cannot describe. It was, after a few weeks last year, a big motivation to fight for the gold medal. For her. For friends, for family,” Steiner was quoted as saying to The New York Times.

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Matthias Steiner’s career in brief

Apart from his laurels in the Olympics, Steiner also did well in other tournaments. Back in 2010, he won the silver medal at the World Championships in Antalya. He also won three medals (2 silver and a bronze) across three editions of the European Championships.

Born in Australia, Steiner also faced health issues, suffering from Type-1 diabetes after being diagnosed on his 18th birthday. It was after marrying Susann that Steiner moved to Germany and applied for German citizenship.

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