No thought of stopping for Happy-Go-Lucky

No thought of stopping yet for Mr Happy-Go-Lucky Tomorrow in Bremen the European Veterans Championships will start with record number of participants. From 27 May to 1 June there will be 2.834 players from 40 countries at the ÖVB Arena Bremen, from A to W,

No thought of stopping yet for Mr Happy-Go-Lucky Tomorrow in Bremen the European Veterans Championships will start with record number of participants. From 27 May to 1 June there will be 2.834 players from 40 countries at the ÖVB Arena Bremen, from A to W, Azerbaijan to Wales. Among them will be one of the greatest stars of table tennis, Mikael APPELGREN.

With nickname Mr Happy-Go-Lucky, the well-paid advertising contract should have gone into Mikael APPELGREN ´s pocket automatically: Far beyond Sweden´s borders people call him “Äpplet”. In German that means simply “Apfel”, and almost exactly 25 years ago, Äpplet and the computer company Apple were sitting at the negotiation table.

APPELGREN had just won 3 gold medals at the EC in Paris, so Apple could well imagine the elegant master technician as their advertising expert. However, nothing came of it – “I think in the end it failed because of money, although I cannot remember exactly”, says Mikael. Doesn´t matter, though, for the deal with the at one time most valuable enterprises of the world is one of the few things that “Appel”, now 51 years old, has not accomplished in his life. Four WC titles, 8 EC gold medals, 2 wins at Europe Top 12 plus one in the World Cup are his impressive record. Last year he won gold in his age category at the Veterans` WC in Stockholm. For quite some time time, APPELGREN has not been chasing any titles, though. Fun comes first for the indefatigable Swede. This goes for the European VC in Bremen, too. “I´ll try to play at my best and of course I will fight. But I also want to enjoy some good German beer”, says the ingenious technician. Among other things, he intends to meet some friends, “some of whom I haven´t seen for years.”

In Bremen, APPELGREN last played at the WVC  in 2006. Then, the tournament ended for him in the semi-final when he lost to Alan COOKE, the eventual World Champion. “Äpplet`s” defeat was most likely due to the “entertainment programme” the evening before as he remarks, grinning broadly, “Could be that I had a beer too many with Zoran KALINIC.”

Nowadays, his sometimes not so professional style of life does not matter any more. During his peak times, though, it proved to be an obstacle. No sooner than the mid-eighties he developed hardness against himself, which was necessary to become a true professional. His former coach Jens FELLKE once called his change of mind APPELGREN´s  “second birth as a table tennis player.”

And he certainly does not want to let go of this life. He plays for his club Sparvägen in Sweden´s elite league, for their second team in the 2nd league. He is a member of the board, president, coach, captain and person in charge of sponsoring. In short: Nothing can be done without APPELGREN.  What´s more: The passionate skier loves this life.  “Once I received an offer from the financial world. To accept that, I`d have to stop with table tennis, though, and I just did not want to do that”, he reports. What he likes most is being a table tennis player forever. And here is one question he does not like to be asked anymore: about the end of his playing career – what a nuisance for him! “Every day”, he says, “there is something about it on the radio, in the press or somebody else asks me.” Considerations like that, he says, are of no importance for him as he feels top fit and has no physical problems. He believes that he owes that in part to his nimble, light-footed playing style. So far, he has escaped back or knee troubles.

In Bremen, APPELGREN wants to present himself to his fans as light-footed as ever. And should he succeed in winning the title, he will be able to deliver his address of thanks in German. “It may take a little, but after a few days in Germany the language will be o.k. again.” 

Related News

ETTU Launches EUROSPINS: New Development Program for Europe’s Brightest Young Talents

The ETTU is proud to unveil EUROSPINS, a brand-new development initiative designed to support Europe’s most promising young table tennis players. The program will offer selected athletes the unique opportunity...

Read more

Eurotalents Selection Camp II Set for August in Riga

The ETTU Eurotalents Selection Camp II powered by JOOLA will take place in Riga, Latvia, from August 3 to 9, 2025, gathering Europe’s most promising young table tennis players. Hosted...

Read more

Novi Sad to Host Stage 1 of ETTU Champions League Men and Women

The ETTU is pleased to announce that Stage 1 of the ETTU Champions League Men 2025/26 will take place in Novi Sad, Serbia, from 29 to 31 August 2025. The...

Read more

ETTU Announces New Development Support for Member Associations in 2025

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) has unveiled a new wave of development support for its Member Associations in 2025, as part of a broader collaboration with the ITTF Participation...

Read more

Contact

About Us

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of table tennis in Europe, and is the only authority recognized for this purpose by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organization of continental table tennis competitions, including the European Championships.

Powered By

All Competitions

Senior Competitions

Club Competitions

Youth Competitions

More Competitions