Lennart Dahlgren became Hoa-Hoa with the entire Swedish people.
He was nicknamed for his characteristic roar – but now he reveals the truth after all these years.
– It must have been a damn well-articulated scream…, he says.
Lennart “Hoa-Hoa” Dahlgren is one of our most popular sports profiles. Today, he is perhaps better known for his enormous success in the television program På Spåret, where he completely dominated together with the journalist Cecilia Hagen.
Incredible nickname
But for those who have been around for a little longer, Hoa-Hoa was also a fantastic weightlifter, and that’s how the big breakthrough came. It was in the early 70’s that he really broke through, and for a few years the sport was popular both to watch and play, at least before the doping scandals followed each other, causing the sport to lose status.
And of course it was largely thanks to Lennart Dahlgren that the sport grew almost explosively. And the nickname has stuck ever since. Dahlgren is now over 70 years old, but it is still Hoa-Hoa that applies. And it all has to do with his signature scream that he let out while competing.
– When I won the SM in 1973, then I had read about some breathing technique. I think it was Stig Bodin in Expressen who made a speech bubble out of that and that was 49 years ago. I usually say “better with a nickname than a nickname”, he said in an interview with Aftonbladet in connection with his 70th birthday.
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Revealing the truth
Many have the opinion that Dahlgren shouted “Hoa-Hoa” most of the time, as soon as he took off during the competition. But that is far from the truth. Dahlgren now believes that the Swedish people have been wrong all these years.
– I have only shouted it once, in 1973 in March. It must have been a damn well-articulated scream because it settled so well.
But it’s nothing he has anything against. Dahlgren gives his explanation as to why he thinks the nickname stuck as it did.
– Apparently it did. Sport is about achieving good results of course, but also about offering yourself. I was my way and that’s why people probably remember me. But it wasn’t a show, it was just me.
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