Featured Image Credit: Getty & TokTok: @everythinggym
Topics: Olympics, Weightlifting
Alex Brotherton
A weightlifter won gold at the Olympic Games after he made a promise to his late wife who tragically passed away months earlier.
There are often plenty of factors that motivate Olympic athletes to victory, far beyond the prospect of getting their hands on a medal.
That was the case at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, when one of the Games' most heart-breaking stories emerged during the weightlifting competition.
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Germany's Matthias Steiner took the gold medal in the +105kg weightlifting event, and it was a monumental achievement for several reasons.
Steiner competed in Beijing just a year after his wife, Susann, tragically passed away when her car collided with an SUV that was driving on the wrong side of the road.
The weightlifter reportedly lost as much as eight kilograms as he grieved his wife's death, but her was able to continue his training after he had promised her he would win gold at the 2008 Games.
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During the Olympics the following summer, Steiner failed in his third snatch attempt, and with 203 kg ranked fourth after the snatch.
Despite failing in his first clean and jerk attempt, Steiner was able to produce a successful clean and jerk of 258 kg, and a total of 461 kg, earning him the gold medal.
What followed was one of the most emotional scenes in Olympic history, as Steiner broke down in tears. He stood on the medalists' podium with a photo of his late wife and the gold medal he had promised her he would win.
Sport has produced some incredible stories over the years, but few have been as emotional as what Steiner went through.