Matthias Steiner (; born 25 August 1982 in Vienna) is a retired Austrian-German weightlifter, and Olympic gold medalist.
As a native Austrian, he competed for Austria internationally from 1998 to 2005, in European Championships, World Championships, and the 2004 Summer Olympics. From 2002 to 2005 he was four times Austrian National Champion in the +105 kg category, and holds Austrian records in the −105 kg and +105 kg categories. In 2005, Steiner left the Austrian weightlifting federation, and married a German woman.
Although his wife died in a car accident, he continued his weightlifting career in Germany, eventually received German citizenship in early 2008, won overall silver at the 2008 European Championships, and the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Early and personal life
Matthias Steiner was born in Vienna, Austria. He hails from Obersulz in Lower Austria, where he attended Volksschule (primary school), then Hauptschule (secondary school). Steiner completed an apprenticeship in plumbing.
He started weightlifting in 1995. His father, Friedrich Steiner, a 20-time IWF-Masters World Weightlifting Champion, also ranks first on the IWF 2008 Hall of Fame Survey of Leading Master Lifters.
Steiner suffers from Type-1 diabetes, diagnosed at his 18th birthday. Before the diagnosis, the first symptom was an intense thirst, then he lost his appetite, and of bodyweight within three months. He went to the doctor when his sight deteriorated.
In 2004, a German woman from Zwickau in Saxony had watched Steiner participating in weightlifting contests on TV. She kept asking the Eurosport commentators for his email address, until they gave it to her. She contacted Steiner, and he agreed to meet her in Lower Austria. They married shortly thereafter and hence he moved to Germany, where he then applied for German citizenship.
On 16 July 2007, his wife, Susann, died in a car accident. Despite the tragic loss, and after losing of bodyweight, he was able to continue his training.
In October 2008, Steiner met German TV-newsreader Inge Posmyk. They married in February 2011.
Weightlifting career
1998–2003
Steiner participated in the 1998 and 1999 European Junior Championships, and the 2000 Junior World Championships.
At the 2000 European Junior Championships in Rijeka, Croatia he came in 8th place in the 94 kg category, with a total of 320 kg (142.5 kg snatch and 177.5 kg clean and jerk).
At the 2001 European Junior Championships in Kalmar, Sweden he won bronze in the −105 kg category, with 360 kg (165 kg and 195 kg). At that time he competed for the AC Woge Bregenz weightlifting club. At the 2002 European Junior Championships in Havířov, Czech Republic he won bronze again in the −105 kg category, with 380 kg (172.5 kg and 207.5 kg).
Steiner won the Austrian National Championships in the +105 kg category in 2002 with a total of 370 kg, and in 2003 with a total of 390 kg.
2004
He won the 2004 Austrian National Championships in the +105 kg category with a total of 400 kg.
Steiner continued to increase his performance; at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens he competed for Austria, and lifted 405 kg (182.5 kg and 222.5 kg) and went into 7th place in the -105 kg category.
2005
Steiner won the 2005 Austrian National Championships in the +105 kg category with a total of 382.5 kg.
Until 2005 he competed regularly in World Championships and European Championships for Austria. In 2005, the Austrian national coach was replaced against Steiners will, which caused tension between Steiner and the Austrian weightlifting federation. He kept the coach as personal coach, who however did not get accredited for the 2005 European Championships in Sofia.
Steiner also could no longer keep his body weight below , and bulked up for the +105 kg category. The 2005 European Championships were his first event in the new weight category.
At the European Championships, a lot went wrong and Steiner failed three snatch attempts. He had to compete in the B-group, because the European Weightlifting Federation did not accept the announced starting weights. After warming up he disagreed with the national coach concerning the starting weight, and time ran out on the first attempt. The Austrian national coach, together with other functionaries, accused Steiner of deliberate failure, which Steiner denied. As a consequence, he left the Austrian weightlifting federation.