“Born in Vienna, in 1982, Matthias Steiner initially represents his native Austria,” the International Weightlifting Federation says, with “two seven placings, at the 2003 Worlds and 2004 Olympics.” He “was diagnosed with diabetes at age 18,” the Olympic Channel says; in his own words, “I received the diagnosis that I had type 1 diabetes – out of the blue.” “In 2005, a conflict with his weightlifting national federation dictates his move to Germany,” the IWF says, “where he had met some months earlier a fan who had contacted him after watching his performances on TV.” Der Tagesspiegel says she had seen him on Eurosport and wrote him an email. Her name was Susann, and, the IWF says, “He gets married to her.”
Then, the IWF says, “in July 2007, Susann tragically dies in a car accident.” Before her death, Olympics.com says, “Matthias Steiner promised her that he would win an Olympic gold medal”; Laureus says he “had promised his wife he would win a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.”
“Having obtained German nationality at the beginning of that year, he competes for his new country,” the IWF says of 2008. The men’s +105-kilogram final was on August 19, 2008, at the BUAA Gymnasium in Beijing, the official results show, and after the snatch, “Russian strongman Evgeny Chigishev led at the halfway mark with a 210kg Snatch ahead of Artem Udachyn of Ukraine with 207kg, reigning world champion Viktors Scerbatihs of Latvia with 206kg, and Steiner in fourth place with 203kg.” In the clean and jerk, “Steiner struggled on his first attempt and missed 246kg.” Then “Chigishev completed all his attempts. His final lift of 250kg gave him a total of 460kg and what seemed to be a tight grip on the gold medal.”
“Steiner decided to put everything on the line for his last clean-and-jerk,” The Seattle Times wrote. “He set up the weights for 258 kilograms,” and the IWF notes that “His personal best in clean and jerk was before the competition 250 kg.” He “cleaned the weight gracefully off the floor and onto his thick shoulders. He paused and regrouped, but the jerk — the clearing of the weight over his head — was never in question.” “Steiner then took an increase of 10kg over his second attempt and against all odds succeeded with 258kg to seal the gold medal,” the IWF says, under the headline “The last lift of the Games brought gold”: the results give him 461 kilos to Chigishev’s 460. “He collapsed in an emotional outburst atop the barbell before jumping up and down on the stage at the Beijing gymnasium,” Olympics.com says; “Steiner screamed. He cried,” The Seattle Times wrote.
“At the podium ceremony in Beijing, while receiving his medal, Steiner displays a photo of his late wife,” the IWF says, and Olympics.com says he “kissed a picture of his late wife during the victory ceremony.” “I’m not the superstitious type, don’t believe in higher powers, but I hope she saw me. I wish,” said the 25-year-old, Gulf News reported.
Fact check
The facts and where they come from
- He promised his wife Olympic gold, but she was killed before he could win it. Olympics.com: “Before his wife’s death, Matthias Steiner promised her that he would win an Olympic gold medal, driving him to an emotional win in Beijing.” Associated Press: “his wife Susann, who was killed in a car accident in 2007.” 547
- His name is Matthias Steiner. IWF: “Matthias Steiner (GER), lifting for gold and for his late wife.” 2
- At 18, the Austrian learned he had type 1 diabetes. Olympic Channel: “Steiner, who was diagnosed with diabetes at age 18.” Steiner, to Olympics.com: “when I received the diagnosis that I had type 1 diabetes – out of the blue.” IWF: “Born in Vienna, in 1982, Matthias Steiner initially represents his native Austria.” 642
- A fan in Germany saw him on TV and emailed him. Der Tagesspiegel: “Die spätere Susann Steiner hatte ihn bei einem Gewichtheber-Wettbewerb im Fernsehen auf ‘Eurosport’ gesehen und sich in ihn verliebt. Sie schrieb ihm eine E-Mail, und sie wurden ein Paar.” (In English: the future Susann Steiner had seen him at a weightlifting competition on TV, on Eurosport, and fallen in love with him; she wrote him an email, and they became a couple.) IWF: “his move to Germany, where he had met some months earlier a fan who had contacted him after watching his performances on TV.” 102
- Her name was Susann. He moved to Germany and married her. IWF: “In 2005, a conflict with his weightlifting national federation dictates his move to Germany … He gets married to her.” Associated Press: “his wife Susann.” 27
- In July 2007, she died in a car crash. IWF: “but in July 2007, Susann tragically dies in a car accident.” Gulf News: “a car crash in July 2007.” 28
- He had promised her Olympic gold. Olympics.com: “Before his wife’s death, Matthias Steiner promised her that he would win an Olympic gold medal.” Laureus: “had promised his wife he would win a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.” 411
- A year later, in Beijing, he lifted for Germany. Official results: “Men’s +105kg … BUAA Gymnasium / Tue Aug 19 2008,” “STEINER Matthias Germany.” Olympics.com: “One year after losing his first wife Susann … Steiner’s heart-wrenching gold medal performance at Beijing 2008 touched the world.” IWF: “Having obtained German nationality at the beginning of that year, he competes for his new country.” 342
- After the snatch, he was only fourth. IWF: “Russian strongman Evgeny Chigishev led at the halfway mark with a 210kg Snatch ahead of Artem Udachyn of Ukraine with 207kg, reigning world champion Viktors Scerbatihs of Latvia with 206kg, and Steiner in fourth place with 203kg.” Associated Press: “fourth-placed Steiner.” 17
- Then he missed his first clean and jerk. IWF: “Steiner struggled on his first attempt and missed 246kg.” 1
- With one lift left, a Russian was still ahead. IWF: “Chigishev completed all his attempts. His final lift of 250kg gave him a total of 460kg and what seemed to be a tight grip on the gold medal.” Official results: Steiner then had 203 + 248 = 451 kilos. 13
- So he put 258 kilos on the bar. The Seattle Times: “Steiner decided to put everything on the line for his last clean-and-jerk. He set up the weights for 258 kilograms.” IWF: “Steiner then took an increase of 10kg over his second attempt and against all odds succeeded with 258kg to seal the gold medal.” 91
- More than he had ever lifted. IWF: “His personal best in clean and jerk was before the competition 250 kg.” Olympic Channel: “Steiner had just one try left to attempt his heaviest lift ever at 258kg.” 16
- He drove it overhead. The Seattle Times: he “cleaned the weight gracefully off the floor and onto his thick shoulders. He paused and regrouped, but the jerk — the clearing of the weight over his head — was never in question.” 9
- Gold, by one kilo. Official results: “1 STEINER Matthias … 461,” “2 CHIGISHEV Evgeny … 460.” IWF: “The last lift of the Games brought gold.” 31
- He collapsed on the bar, screaming and crying. Olympics.com: “He collapsed in an emotional outburst atop the barbell before jumping up and down on the stage at the Beijing gymnasium.” The Seattle Times: “He collapsed to the floor over the weights. He wailed … Steiner screamed. He cried.” 49
- On the podium, he held up her photo. Associated Press: “At the medal ceremony, Steiner held up a picture of his late wife.” IWF: “At the podium ceremony in Beijing, while receiving his medal, Steiner displays a photo of his late wife.” Olympics.com: “Steiner kissed a picture of his late wife during the victory ceremony.” 724
- “I hope she saw me,” he said. Gulf News: “I’m not the superstitious type, don’t believe in higher powers, but I hope she saw me. I wish,” said the 25-year-old. Laureus: “I’m not the superstitious type, I don’t believe in higher powers, but I hope she saw me. I wish.” 811
Sources
- Men’s +105kg: The last lift of the Games brought gold (from BOCOG, August 21, 2008) International Weightlifting Federation
- IWF120y/18 – 2008: Matthias Steiner (GER), lifting for gold and for his late wife (February 28, 2025) International Weightlifting Federation
- Official results: Weightlifting, Men’s +105kg, BUAA Gymnasium, August 19, 2008 (archived) Beijing 2008 (Internet Archive)
- Exclusive! Matthias Steiner: ‘I have to accept what I cannot change’ Olympics.com
- Steiner dedicates emotional weightlifting gold to late wife (video) Olympics.com
- Weightlifter Matthias Steiner turns athletic achievements into lifetime success in Olympic Channel’s Legends Live On (Olympic Channel press release, April 8, 2019) Around the Rings (Infobae)
- Matthias Steiner wins heavy gold for Germany (Associated Press, August 19, 2008) The Honolulu Advertiser
- Steiner wins after promising wife (August 2008) Gulf News
- A touching Olympic moment that wasn’t to be missed (Ron Judd, August 20, 2008) The Seattle Times
- Matthias Steiner hebt Gold – für Deutschland und seine verstorbene Frau (Benedikt Voigt, August 19, 2008) Der Tagesspiegel (Internet Archive)
- A golden promise Laureus
Notes
“Fourth”: he was fourth after the snatch (IWF, Associated Press). One popular retelling says he was fourth before his second-to-last attempt, which the official results contradict: after his 248-kilo second clean and jerk he stood second on 451 kilos, behind Chigishev’s 460. The Short says “fourth” only for the snatch.
The promise: one wire report gives a setting for it that no other source confirms; Olympics.com and Laureus say only that he promised her before her death, and this page says no more.
His best before Beijing: the IWF says 250 kilos; another account, from the 2008 European Championships, says 246. Either way 258 was more than he had ever lifted, as the Olympic Channel says (“his heaviest lift ever at 258kg”). “Gold, by one kilo” is the total, 461 to 460.
His diagnosis: “at age 18,” the Olympic Channel says; other accounts say on his 18th birthday. Nothing else about his health is used beyond his own published words.
Susann’s death is told only as the IWF, Gulf News and the Associated Press report it: the month, July 2007, and a car accident. The exact date, the place and every other detail are left out, out of respect.
“A fan in Germany”: Der Tagesspiegel says she saw him on Eurosport and emailed him; the IWF places their meeting with his move to Germany. Where she lived is not given.
Matthias Steiner is alive. Everything here comes from public reports, his federations and his own published words. No one else in his family is named or shown, and nothing about his private life after 2008, his health beyond his own published diagnosis, or money is used.
Pictures: there is no free photo of Steiner’s Olympic final or the medal ceremony, and none of Susann. Steiner himself is in Dacoucou’s three photos from the Souvenir Monique Maurice in Villeneuve-Loubet, France, on August 13, 2010 (two under the bar and one walking to it, in a German singlet); in Iohns’s undated photo, uploaded in November 2008; in J.-H. Janßen’s two portraits at the Schauburg in Ibbenbüren on October 26, 2016; and in Sven Mandel’s portrait at Champions for Charity in Leverkusen on July 21, 2019. The BUAA Gymnasium, the Beijing 2008 weightlifting venue, is seen from outside in August 2008. PhotoBobil’s photo of the weightlifting hall and its scoreboard is from the 85-kilogram event on August 15, 2008, four days before Steiner’s final. The lifter under the loaded bar on the Beijing platform on August 17, 2008, is Jürgen Spieß, not Steiner. The Beijing National Stadium and the Olympic flame are seen on August 20, 2008, the night after the final.
Photo credits
The archive photos in this story
The photographs and illustrations in this story are in the public domain or shared under open licenses; each one is credited below with its license. Tap one to enlarge it, or follow the link to its Wikimedia Commons page for the full record. The narration, captions and graphics in the Short are our own; its music and sound effects are credited below.
Music and sound effects
Music: Schumann, Kinderszenen, Op. 15: No. 1 'Of Foreign Lands and Peoples (Musopen, public domain); Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: II. Ase's Death (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0); Beethoven, Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0); Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: IV. Adagio - Piu andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0).
Sound effects: Freesound, CC0.
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