BERGMANN, RICHARD

BERGMANN, RICHARD (1920–1970), table tennis player, winner of seven world championships, including four singles crowns. Born in Vienna, Bergmann began playing table tennis at age 12 and won his first world championship in 1936 at the age of 16 as a member of the Austrian Swaythling Cup team. He also won the bronze medal that year in the men's singles event. A year later in 1937, Bergmann became and remains the youngest player in history to win the gold medal in the men's singles competition; he won the silver in 1938. When the Nazis invaded Austria in March, Bergmann fled to England. In 1939, he won his second world singles crown and the world doubles title with Victor *Barna. Following World War ii, he reclaimed his title in 1948 as world singles champion and won the bronze in doubles again with Barna. In 1949 Bergmann and Barna helped England win the bronze in team competition, and Bergmann won the bronze in doubles with Tage Flisberg. In 1950 Bergmann won his fourth world championship singles 13 years after his first and led England to a team bronze. In 1952 he won silver in doubles (with Johnny Leach) as well as in team competition, and his seventh and final world championship was in team play in 1953. Bergmann won the bronze in singles and team in 1954, and his final medal was bronze with England in 1955. Bergmann also finished first in the English singles championships six times and the doubles four times. Bergmann became the world's first professional table tennis player in the mid-1950s, touring extensively with the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. Sometimes referred to as Richard the Lionhearted, Bergman was the author of Twenty-One Up (1950).

[Elli Wohlgelernter (2^nd ed.)]