Alojzy Ehrlich
Encyclopedia
Alojzy "Alex" Ehrlich also called "King of the Chiselers," was a Polish
table tennis
legend, widely regarded as one of the best players in Polish history of this sport, who three times won silver in the World Championships
.
He was a very popular athlete in interbellum Poland
; in 1934 Ehrlich was placed on the 8th position in the prestigious list of 10 most popular sportsmen of Poland, made by readers of the national sports daily Przeglad Sportowy
.
in southern Poland (then part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
, a component kingdom of Austria-Hungary
). Some time later (exact year is unknown), he settled in Lwow and started playing table tennis, most probably in the mid-1920s, in the local Jewish sports club Hasmonea Lwow
.
Together with Hasmonea, he won first team championships of Poland (Lwow, 1933), and became the top player of the country. In 1934 Erlich and another player from Lwow, Wladyslaw Loewenherz represented Poland in an international match staged in Danzig where they defeated Germany 7:2. The same team, Erlich and Loewenherz, represented Poland in 1935 at the Swaithling Cup competition in London where they achieved second ranking in A Group. In the same year, Erlich reached the semifinals of the World Championships, and in 1935 he won bronze in the same competition. Three times - 1936, 1937 and 1939, Ehrlich was vice-champion of the world, and he is among only three players who played in three finals without winning (together with Hungarian
Laszlo Bellak and China
's Li Furong
) In 1936 in Prague
, he lost to Stanislav Kolar
from Czechoslovakia
. In 1937 in Baden
, he lost to Austria
n player Richard Bergmann
, and two years later in Cairo
, he lost to Bergmann again.
In the early 1930s, Ehrlich, who spoke eight languages, moved to France
, but remained loyal to Poland and represented his native land in subsequent tournaments.
, which took place in Prague, Ehrlich became famous after a record-breaking one-point exchange with Romania
n player Paneth Farkas. The exchange lasted two hours and 12 minutes; after 70 minutes the score was 0-0. Both players suffered, but neither wanted to give up. Altogether, the ball crossed the net more than 12,000 times. After two hours, Farkas' arm began to freeze, and he lost the first point. Interestingly enough, the referee had to be replaced during the match, because his neck was so sore.
, Ehrlich was caught by the Germans
and was sent to Auschwitz. He spent four years there and later at Dachau, and was saved from the gas chamber because the Nazis recognised him as a world champion.
After the war, he settled in Paris
, where for some time he lived in a tenement building, on the seventh floor. Ehrlich continued playing tennis, with several achievements. However, he did not represent Poland any more, as because of living in the West, he was named persona non grata
by the Communist government
. Between 1952 and 1963, he was a member of the French national team, reaching the quarterfinals of the 1957 World Championships. Also, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Ehrlich many times was international champion of such countries as Ireland
, France, Germany
and Holland.
{In the Irish Open he beat Johnny Leach in straight sets, shortly after Leach had won his first World Singles Title. For the previous 6 weeks, Erlich had been coaching Irish players, from beginners to the National Team, and must have been sorely out of top class practice. After coaching sessions, for practice, he would play his unofficial assistant Zerrick Woolfson of Dublin, giving him 12 points start. He told Woolfson that he gave the National Team members 10 points}.
His victory over Leach was highly gratifying to him, since he had not been able to get sponsorship from any country, and was therefore not allowed to partake in the World Championships. He was about 35 years old at this time, and considered long past his best. During this period he was also developing a sports business partnership with French Champion Amouretti.
After finishing his career, Ehrlich became a coach, also developing a table tennis robot, which was presented by him in 1964 in Malmo
, Sweden
. Furthermore, Ehrlich was the one who introduced military fitness drills, based on backward hops down long staircases. In the French Riviera
, he opened a holiday center with table tennis training facilities.
He died in a hospital in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis on 7 December 1992.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
legend, widely regarded as one of the best players in Polish history of this sport, who three times won silver in the World Championships
World Table Tennis Championships
The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
.
He was a very popular athlete in interbellum Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
; in 1934 Ehrlich was placed on the 8th position in the prestigious list of 10 most popular sportsmen of Poland, made by readers of the national sports daily Przeglad Sportowy
Przeglad Sportowy
Przeglad Sportowy is the oldest and largest Polish sports daily, founded in 1921 in Kraków. In 1926 it initiated an annual, popular plebiscite for the Polish Sportspersonality of the Year...
.
Early years
Ehrlich was born in 1914 in the village of BukowskoBukowsko
Bukowsko is a village in Sanok County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland. It's in the Bukowsko Upland mountains, parish in loco, located near the towns of Medzilaborce and Palota . During the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth it was in Lesser Poland prowincja.-Characteristics:Bukowsko is the...
in southern Poland (then part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...
, a component kingdom of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
). Some time later (exact year is unknown), he settled in Lwow and started playing table tennis, most probably in the mid-1920s, in the local Jewish sports club Hasmonea Lwow
Hasmonea Lwów
Hasmonea Lwów was a Polish-Jewish sports club based in the city of Lwów . Created in 1908, it was the first sports club exclusively for Jewish members. It was named after the Hasmonean royal dynasty...
.
Together with Hasmonea, he won first team championships of Poland (Lwow, 1933), and became the top player of the country. In 1934 Erlich and another player from Lwow, Wladyslaw Loewenherz represented Poland in an international match staged in Danzig where they defeated Germany 7:2. The same team, Erlich and Loewenherz, represented Poland in 1935 at the Swaithling Cup competition in London where they achieved second ranking in A Group. In the same year, Erlich reached the semifinals of the World Championships, and in 1935 he won bronze in the same competition. Three times - 1936, 1937 and 1939, Ehrlich was vice-champion of the world, and he is among only three players who played in three finals without winning (together with Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Laszlo Bellak and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's Li Furong
Li Furong
Li Furong was a Chinese male table tennis player. He was a native of Zhejiang province starting to play table tennis at 15 and joined national team in 1959. Li helped the Chinese men's team win four team titles at the World Table Tennis Championships in 1961, 1963, 1965 and 1971...
) In 1936 in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, he lost to Stanislav Kolar
Stanislav Kolář
Stanislav Kolář is a male former table tennis player from Czechoslovakia. From 1931 to 1938 he won several medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the World Table Tennis Championships -References:...
from Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. In 1937 in Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, he lost to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n player Richard Bergmann
Richard Bergmann
Richard Bergmann was an Austrian and British table tennis player. Winner of seven World Championships, including four Singles, one Men's Doubles, two Team's titles and 22 medals in total.-Tennis career:...
, and two years later in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, he lost to Bergmann again.
In the early 1930s, Ehrlich, who spoke eight languages, moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, but remained loyal to Poland and represented his native land in subsequent tournaments.
Legendary exchange
During the 1936 World Table Tennis ChampionshipsWorld Table Tennis Championships
The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
, which took place in Prague, Ehrlich became famous after a record-breaking one-point exchange with Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n player Paneth Farkas. The exchange lasted two hours and 12 minutes; after 70 minutes the score was 0-0. Both players suffered, but neither wanted to give up. Altogether, the ball crossed the net more than 12,000 times. After two hours, Farkas' arm began to freeze, and he lost the first point. Interestingly enough, the referee had to be replaced during the match, because his neck was so sore.
World War II and late years
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Ehrlich was caught by the Germans
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and was sent to Auschwitz. He spent four years there and later at Dachau, and was saved from the gas chamber because the Nazis recognised him as a world champion.
After the war, he settled in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where for some time he lived in a tenement building, on the seventh floor. Ehrlich continued playing tennis, with several achievements. However, he did not represent Poland any more, as because of living in the West, he was named persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
by the Communist government
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
. Between 1952 and 1963, he was a member of the French national team, reaching the quarterfinals of the 1957 World Championships. Also, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Ehrlich many times was international champion of such countries as Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, France, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Holland.
{In the Irish Open he beat Johnny Leach in straight sets, shortly after Leach had won his first World Singles Title. For the previous 6 weeks, Erlich had been coaching Irish players, from beginners to the National Team, and must have been sorely out of top class practice. After coaching sessions, for practice, he would play his unofficial assistant Zerrick Woolfson of Dublin, giving him 12 points start. He told Woolfson that he gave the National Team members 10 points}.
His victory over Leach was highly gratifying to him, since he had not been able to get sponsorship from any country, and was therefore not allowed to partake in the World Championships. He was about 35 years old at this time, and considered long past his best. During this period he was also developing a sports business partnership with French Champion Amouretti.
After finishing his career, Ehrlich became a coach, also developing a table tennis robot, which was presented by him in 1964 in Malmo
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Furthermore, Ehrlich was the one who introduced military fitness drills, based on backward hops down long staircases. In the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
, he opened a holiday center with table tennis training facilities.
He died in a hospital in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis on 7 December 1992.