Stellan Bengtsson is one of the real greats of Swedish table tennis.
But Bengtsson has been living in another country for many years – and he has no plans to return.
And the reason is heartbreaking.
It was more than 50 years ago that we got to see one of the most exciting breakthroughs in Swedish sports history. The Swedish teenager was only 167 centimeters tall and weighed in at just over 60 kilos. Still, he crushed world champions and superstars.
Left Sweden
Stellan Bengtsson was responsible for a sensational feat when he won the WC in 1971, and he thus became the first Swedish world champion in the sport. Stellan Bengtsson was awarded the Bragdguldet, and two years later there was also WC gold in doubles. It is true that there were never any more individual championship golds, but Bengtsson still belongs to one of the greatest in Swedish sports.
Stellan Bengtsson still hasn’t left the ping-pong table behind. He has managed to turn 70 years old, and today resides in the United States. It was more than 15 years since he was last in Sweden, and it will remain that way. He has not flown since his mother passed away in 2006.
– My fear of flying is deep inside. I hate it, he told Aftonbladet a few years ago.
READ MORE: Icon Jan-Ove Waldner speaks straight from the heart and reveals which sports he hates the most
“It stops me”
Being active, it was no problem for Stellan to fly, but in 1977 his friend died in a plane crash in Sweden, where all 22 on board perished. The ping pong star Hasse Alsér was one of those who died, and since then Bengtsson has had problems with flying, and he has therefore avoided it for over 15 years.
– It hinders me in many areas… I miss Sweden, my sister and my friends. I cannot travel there and visit them, he has said.
However, Stellan Bengtsson has some connections to Sweden. When Truls Möregårdh made a smash hit in the WC two years ago, the competitions were in the USA. Stellan Bengtsson got into the car – a 200-mile one-way trip – and stood up as a coach. In an interview with Expressen a few years ago, Stellan also told us that he still plays, but that he is also a youth coach. After that, he has also helped as a coach at a Chinese table tennis school in San Diego, where he lives.
READ MORE: When Jan-Ove Waldner gave the smartest answer of all time to a foreign journalist after winning World Cup gold