Matthias Steiner Explained

Matthias Steiner
Nationality: Austria /
Birth Date:1982 8, df=y
Birth Place:Vienna, Austria
Height:1.83m (06feet) (2012)
Weight:145kg (320lb) (2012)
Country: (2001–2005)
(2008–2013)
Sport:Weightlifting
Event:+105 kg
Club:Chemnitzer AC
Turnedpro:2001
Coach:Frank Mantek, Michael Vater
Retired:2013
Show-Medals:y

Matthias Steiner (pronounced as /de/; 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.[1] He hails from Obersulz in Lower Austria, where he attended Volksschule (primary school), then Hauptschule (secondary school).[2] Steiner completed an apprenticeship in plumbing.

He started weightlifting in 1995.[3] 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.[4] [5]

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 5kg (11lb) 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] [9] Despite the tragic loss, and after losing NaNkg (-2,147,483,648lb) of bodyweight, he was able to continue his training.

In October 2008, Steiner met German TV-newsreader Inge Posmyk. They married in February 2011.[10] [11] [12]

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).[13]

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.[14]

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.[15]

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.[16]

Steiner also could no longer keep his body weight below 105kg (231lb), 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.[17] 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.

2006–2007

During the three years that Steiner applied for German citizenship, he was not allowed to compete in international competitions. At the 2007 European Championships he was co-commentator with Marc Huster for Eurosport.[18] Since moving to Germany he competes for the Chemnitzer AC weightlifting club,[19] and is their team captain in the German weightlifting league.[20] Steiner trains in the German Federal Weightlifting Center in Leimen near Heidelberg, with German national coach Frank Mantek.

2008

Steiner received German citizenship in early 2008, and started to compete internationally again, for Germany. On 23 January he won the Beijing Pre-Olympic Tournament with a total of 423 kg.[21]

At the 2008 European Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy in the over 105 kg category he was the only lifter to snatch 200 kg, winning gold. In clean and jerk he won bronze with a personal best of 246 kg. All his six attempts were successful. With a total result of 446 kg he won overall silver behind Viktors Ščerbatihs from Latvia, who lifted 447 kg.[22]

The biggest success of Steiner's career came in August 2008, when he won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. After World record holder Hossein Rezazadeh had retired in July 2008, the event turned into a close competition between Steiner, Evgeny Chigishev, and the tournament favorite, European and World champion Viktors Ščerbatihs.

During the Olympic competition, Steiner failed in his third snatch attempt, and with 203 kg ranked fourth after the snatch. Ščerbatihs was in position to take the lead in the clean and jerk, but failed in his second attempt. Steiner also failed in his first clean and jerk attempt, and Chigishev took the lead with 250 kg in the clean and jerk. Ščerbatihs failed in his third attempt, which would have forced Steiner to increase his last attempt to 261 kg in order to win gold. With a successful clean and jerk of 258 kg, and a total of 461 kg, Steiner became an Olympic gold medalist.[23]

Steiner stood on the medalists' podium with a photo of his late wife, who would otherwise have accompanied him to the Games.[24] [25]

2009–2015

In January 2009, Steiner was operated on for an inguinal hernia.[26] [27] He had to pull out of competing at the 2009 Arnold Sports Festival in March, nevertheless was part of the German delegation at the event and met with Arnold Schwarzenegger.[28] [29]

At the 2009 German Championships he ranked second in the snatch behind Almir Velagic, and won overall with a total of 430 kg.[30]

At the 2010 European Championships he ranked third with a total of 426 kg.

In the 2012 London Olympics weightlifting competition Steiner was injured during the snatch portion of the competition when he attempted to pull 196 kg but was hit in the neck by the barbell. While not seriously hurt, Steiner had to abandon the competition as a result of his injury.[31] He announced his retirement from competitive weightlifting in March 2013.[32] [33]

Steiner participated in Season 8 of the German TV dance show Let's Dance, finishing third.[34]

Career statistics

DateTournamentVenueWeight categorySnatchRankClean and jerkRankOverallRank
2001-04-28European ChampionshipsTrenčín, Slovakia−94 kg150.0 kg15th175.0 kg15th325.0 kg16th
2002-04-25European ChampionshipsAntalya, Turkey+105 kg172.5 kg12th207.5 kg11th380 kg11th
2002-11-23World ChampionshipsWarsaw, Poland−105 kg180.0 kg12th215.0 kg12th395.0 kg12th
2003-04-18European ChampionshipsLoutraki, Greece−105 kg180.0 kg8th212.5 kg9th392.5 kg8th
2003-11-17World ChampionshipsVancouver, Canada−105 kg182.5 kg9th220.0 kg6th402.5 kg7th
2004-04-24European ChampionshipsKiev, Ukraine−105 kg180.0 kg10th225.0 kg5th405.0 kg7th
2004-08-15Olympic GamesAthens, Greece−105 kg182.5 kg222.5 kg405.0 kg7th
2005-04-22European ChampionshipsSofia, Bulgaria+105 kgDNF
2008-04-14European ChampionshipsLignano S., Italy+105 kg200.0 kg1st246.0 kg3rd446.0 kg2nd
2008-08-19Olympic GamesBeijing, China+105 kg203.0 kg258.0 kg461.0 kg1st
2010-04-11European ChampionshipsMinsk, Belarus+105 kg190.0 kg4th236.0 kg2nd426.0 kg3rd

National championships

YearCountryWeight categorySnatchRankClean and jerkRankOverallRank
2002Austria+105 kg167.5 kg1st202.5 kg1st370.0 kg1st
2003Austria+105 kg175.0 kg1st215.0 kg1st390.0 kg1st
2004Austria+105 kg177.5 kg1st222.5 kg1st400.0 kg1st
2005Austria+105 kg172.5 kg1st210.0 kg1st382.5 kg1st
2009Germany+105 kg190.0 kg2nd240.0 kg1st430.0 kg1st

Personal bests

Steiner holds Austrian records in the −105 kg and +105 kg categories.[35]

Sponsorships

In 2008, Steiner signed a four-year contract with marketing company "movie & more" in Cologne.[36] Previously, he was supported by Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe and his weightlifting club Chemnitzer AC. The Bundeswehr, while supporting other German weightlifters, did not admit Steiner because of his diabetes.[37]

Media

On 20 August 2008, the day after he won the Olympic gold medal, Steiner featured on the cover of China Daily's Olympian, titled "Supersteiner".[38] [39]

TV appearances

Apart from sports events, where he participated in or commented on weightlifting competitions, Steiner also appeared on a number of talk shows and game shows in Germany and Austria, including Wetten, dass..? and Die Millionenshow (Austrian Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Celebrity Special Edition).

Awards

Notes and References

  1. News: Heavy on Emotion . 2008-08-20 . 2008-12-10 . . Branch, John.
  2. News: 2008-08-20 . Steiner: "In Deutschland arbeiten Profis" . German . LAOLA1.at . dead . 2008-08-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080823115045/http://www.laola1.at/129509+M56679564a0f.html . 2008-08-23.
  3. Web site: Matthias Steiner – Das Interview . diabetes-world.net . 2008-08-27 . German . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080924164552/http://www.diabetes-world.net/Portal-f%C3%BCr-Patienten-und-Interessierte/Lebenssituationen/Prominente/Matthias-Steiner---Das-Interview.htm?ID=3845 . 2008-09-24.
  4. News: Matthias Steiner: Seine Geheimnisse . German . . 2008-12-22 . 2009-01-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090101023030/http://www.abendzeitung.de/sport/mehr_sport/75335 . 2009-01-01.
  5. Web site: Hall of Fame Survey (revised 13-Sep-2008) . IWF-Masters Weightlifting . 2009-01-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080908044328/http://www.iwfmasters.net/hall.htm . 2008-09-08.
  6. News: Matthias Steiner hebt Gold – für Deutschland und seine verstorbene Frau . 2008-08-25 . . 2008-08-19 . German . Voigt . Benedikt . https://web.archive.org/web/20080820082229/http://www.tagesspiegel.de/sport/olympia2008/art17786,2596596 . 20 August 2008.
  7. News: 461 Kilo – für seine Frau . 2008-08-25 . . 2008-08-19 . German . Kelnberger, Josef . https://web.archive.org/web/20080820102547/http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/892/306849/text/ . 20 August 2008.
  8. News: Die Hantel als Halt . 2008-08-13 . . Simeoni, Evi . 2007-08-06 . German . https://web.archive.org/web/20080825130746/http://www.faz.net/s/Rub9CD731D06F17450CB39BE001000DD173/Doc~E579FB66FCBA14722AA498775782AEF85~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html?rss_aktuell . 25 August 2008.
  9. News: Suspended sentence for driver who killed wife of German Olympic gold medalist . . . 2008-12-03 . 2008-12-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100209094536/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/03/ap/europe/main4645629.shtml . 9 February 2010.
  10. BALL DES SPORTS: Steiner und Posmyk im Blitzlichtgewitter . . 2009-02-07 . 2009-02-09 . German.
  11. News: Inge Posmyk und Matthias Steiner: Hochzeit in Sicht? . . 2009-02-08 . 2010-01-30 . German . https://web.archive.org/web/20090909001629/http://www.abendblatt.de/vermischtes/article598328/Inge-Posmyk-und-Matthias-Steiner-Hochzeit-in-Sicht.html . 9 September 2009.
  12. News: Matthias Steiner hat heimlich geheiratet . . 2010-01-23 . 2010-01-30 . German . https://web.archive.org/web/20090926005154/http://newsticker.welt.de/?module=dpa . 2009-09-26 . dead.
  13. Web site: Steiner Matthias (SAS) . IAT Weightlifting Database .
  14. Web site: Staatsmeister seit 1973 . German . 2008-12-18 . Austrian Weightlifting Federation . xls . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110723134349/http://www.gewichtheben.net/download/sonstiges/StaatsmeisterSeit1973/Staatsmeister.xls . 2011-07-23.
  15. Web site: STEINER Matthias . International Weightlifting Federation . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080919160241/http://www.iwf.net/results/results_athlete_e.php?compid=547 . 2008-09-19.
  16. News: ÖGV und Steiner . 2008-08-20 . 2008-08-27 . LAOLA1.at . German . https://web.archive.org/web/20080917074050/http://www.laola1.at/129509+M5f50b73d90d.html . 2008-09-17 . dead.
  17. News: Matthias Steiner sorgt bei EM für Eklat . 2008-08-25 . . German . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080825104832/http://sport.orf.at/ticker/179852.html . August 25, 2008.
  18. Web site: EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – REPORT 3: ENGLISH . ELEIKO Equipment AB, International Weightlifting Agency Berlin (IWA) . Bürger, Hilmar . 2008-12-12 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080915145041/http://www.eleikosport.se/eng/News_show.asp?NewsPageNumber=256 . September 15, 2008.
  19. News: Gewichtheben: Wenn ein starker Mann in Österreich verkannt wird . 2008-08-13 . . 2008-04-21 . German . Datler, Markku . https://web.archive.org/web/20081206113020/http://diepresse.com/home/sport/mehrsport/378537/index.do . 2008-12-06 . dead.
  20. Web site: Unser Team – Sportler der Bundesligamannschaft . Chemnitzer Athleten Club e.V. . 2008-08-27 . German . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080919194849/http://www.chemnitzerac.de/gewichtheben_team.html . 2008-09-19.
  21. Web site: 2008 Invitational Tournament Beijing . 2008-08-26 . The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080825021136/http://en.beijing2008.cn/goodluckbj/weightlifting2008/s214236903/n214238656.shtml . 2008-08-25.
  22. Web site: STEINER Matthias . International Weightlifting Federation . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080919160207/http://www.iwf.net/results/results_athlete_e.php?compid=1944 . 2008-09-19.
  23. Web site: Weightlifting Results Men's +105kg . . 2008-12-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080824044433/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/WL/C73/WLM025000.shtml#WLM025A01 . 2008-08-24.
  24. News: Video – Emotional Steiner lifts weightlifting gold . . 2008-08-19 . 2008-08-20.
  25. News: A touching Olympic moment that wasn't to be missed . 20 August 2008 . 14 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160124045251/http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/a-touching-olympic-moment-that-wasnt-to-be-missed/ . 24 January 2016 . live . . Judd, Ron.
  26. News: German weightlifter Matthias Steiner has just undergone surgery . . 2009-02-05 . 2009-03-12.
  27. Olympiasieger Steiner an der Leiste operiert . . 2009-01-30 . 2009-02-09 . German.
  28. News: German Weightlifters Up for the Arnold . . 2009-03-05 . 2009-03-12.
  29. News: Weightlifting: Arnold Schwarzenegger & Steiner Meet . . 2009-03-10 . 2009-03-12.
  30. News: Eisen und andere Lasten . . 2009-10-25 . 2010-01-31 . German.
  31. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/olympics-2012/olympics-2012-defending-champion-matthias-steiner-germany-hit-neck-barbell-unable-continue-article-1.1130834 Defending champion Matthias Steiner of Germany hit in the neck by the barbell, unable to continue
  32. Web site: Weightlifting News - Matthias Steiner Ends Career . Allthingsgym.com . 2013-03-22 . 2015-03-18.
  33. Web site: Olympiasieger im Gewichtheben - Mehr Sport - sportschau.de . https://web.archive.org/web/20130324214056/http://www.sportschau.de/weitere/karriereendesteiner100.html . dead . 2013-03-24 . 2015-03-18.
  34. RTL German TV channel
  35. Web site: Rekorde: Allgemeine Klasse Männer . German . 2008-12-18 . Austrian Weightlifting Federation . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081120184524/http://www.gewichtheben.net/rekorde/rekorde_oe_allgkl.htm . 2008-11-20.
  36. Web site: Olympia-Sieger Matthias Steiner bei movie & more . 2008-12-06 . German.
  37. Web site: Sportler des Monats: Goldmedaillengewinner im Gewichtheben Matthias Steiner im Gespräch . Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe . 2008-09-08 . 2008-12-06 . German.
  38. News: OLYMPIAN – Wednesday August 20, 2008 . . 2008-08-20 . 2008-12-12.
  39. News: Steiners Schicksal rührt Millionen . https://archive.today/20110716064218/http://www.fr-online.de/in_und_ausland/sport/olympia_2008/sportarten/gewichtheben/1579809_Steiners-Schicksal-ruehrt-Millionen.html . dead . 2011-07-16 . . 2008-08-20 . 2008-12-12 . German . Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
  40. Web site: Sportstaatssekretär Lopatka: Nach Gold in Peking Goldenes Ehrenzeichen für Matthias Steiner . Bundespressedienst . 2008-10-03 . 2008-12-03 . German.
  41. News: Austria's homage to German Olympic medallist Matthias Steiner . . 2009-03-04 . 2009-03-12.
  42. News: Helden von Peking geehrt . 2008-11-20 . . 2008-12-03 . German.
  43. Steiner als "Gewichtheber des Jahres" gefeiert . . 2008-11-29 . 2008-12-03 . German.
  44. News: Ein stiller Star ist der Held des Abends . . 2008-11-27 . 2008-12-03 . German . Kost, Maikka.
  45. News: Swimmer Steffen, weightlifter Steiner win German sports award . https://archive.today/20120729234631/http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3894071,00.html . dead . 2012-07-29 . 2008-12-22 . 2008-12-22 . Deutsche Welle.
  46. News: 2008 Lifters of the Year: Liu Chunhong and Matthias Steiner . International Sports Press Association . 2009-02-17 . 2009-03-12.