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, and also ranks first on the IWF 2008 Hall of Fame Survey of Leading Master Lifters.
Since an untreated infection Steiner suffers from diabetes, diagnosed at his 18th birthday. Before the diagnosis, the first symptom was an intense thirst, then he lost appetite, and 5 kilograms (11 lb) body weight within three months. He went to the doctor when his sight deteriorated.
Despite the diagnosis he followed his dream to become a weightlifter.
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 July 16, 2007 his wife Susann died in a car accident. Despite the tragic loss, and after losing 7 kilograms (15 lb) or 8 kilograms (18 lb) body weight, he was able to continue his training.
In October 2008, Steiner met German TV-newsreader Inge Posmyk. They married in January 2010.
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