1998–2003 Steiner participated in the 1998 and 1999 European Junior Championships, and the 2000 Junior World Championships. 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).
2004 He won the 2004 Austrian National Championships in the +105 kg category with a total of 400 kg.
2005 Steiner won the 2005 Austrian National Championships in the +105 kg category with a total of 382.5 kg. The Austrian national coach, together with other functionaries, accused Steiner of deliberate failure, Since moving to Germany he competes for the
Chemnitzer AC weightlifting club, and is their team captain in the German weightlifting league. Steiner trains in the German Federal Weightlifting Center in
Leimen near
Heidelberg, with German national coach
Frank Mantek. 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. 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. Steiner stood on the medalists' podium with a photo of his late wife, who would otherwise have accompanied him to the Games.
2009–2015 In January 2009, Steiner was operated on for an
inguinal hernia. 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. At the 2009 German Championships he ranked second in the
snatch behind
Almir Velagic, and won overall with a total of 430 kg. At the 2010 European Championships he ranked third with a total of 426 kg. He announced his retirement from competitive weightlifting in March 2013. Steiner participated in
Season 8 of the German TV dance show ''
Let's Dance'', finishing third. ==Career statistics==