10 Incredible Stories From The Summer Olympics

Competing for Germany in the 105+ weightlifting category, Matthias Steiner suffered a heartbreaking setback when his wife was killed in a car crash a year before the 2008 Olympics. Reportedly losing between seven and eight kilograms of bodyweight, Steiner considered dropping out of the Olympics altogether, having intended to go to Beijing with his wife.

Eventually deciding that getting a shot at Olympic gold would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance, Steiner chose to compete. He appeared to start off without a hitch, fighting for the top podium with three other lifters in the first lift, the snatch. However, he failed his third lift, sending him down to the bottom half of the table going into the clean and jerk. And then things started to go wrong.

Warming up for the second lift, Steiner couldn't even get 235kg off of his chest, and he was supposed to go out and lift 246. Failing the first lift, Steiner left the platform looking dejected and lost - his dream apparently broken, until his coach grabbed him and said that if he'd made the lift, he'd have made the podium.

Pushing the weight up to 248kg, Steiner made his second clean and jerk, and claimed a bronze medal. The gap separating Steiner from gold was ten kilograms, and would require him to lift twelve kilos more than his personal best.

After making the lift, Steiner burst into tears and embraced his coach. When he stood on the podium, Steiner held a photograph of his late wife, noting that the victory was made bittersweet by her absence.