One of the dramatic moments at the Olympic Games

Before his wife's death, weightlifter Matthias Steiner promised her that he would become an Olympic champion. In Beijing he kept his promise.

This is a champion with a difficult fate. At the age of 18, he is diagnosed with diabetes and is prohibited from playing sports. But he did not give up the sport and became the champion of Austria. He took part in the Olympic Games for the first time in 2004, where he took 7th place. Then he moved to Germany and due to a change of citizenship, he was banned from participating in international competitions for 3 years. He qualified for the 2008 Olympics, but no one believed in his victory. Because out of the many competitions in which he took part, only once did he become a silver medalist at the European Championships. A year before the Olympics, Steiner's wife dies in a car accident. He takes the loss very hard and refuses to eat. Loses a lot of weight. The coach forces him to return to training. And the main motivation for Matthias is the promise given to his wife, during her lifetime, to become an Olympic champion.

In 2010, Steiner took silver at the World Championships and bronze at the European Championships.

Steiner also took part in the 2012 Olympic Games. That performance was very unsuccessful. He dropped a 196 kg barbell on himself. Suffered a neck injury. After treatment, in 2013 he announced his retirement from the sport.

He is now married, has 2 children and runs a low-carb food business.