Accolades keep rolling in for USBC's Paeng
By Patrick Brettingen USBC Communications
Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno is a USBC Level I and Bronze Instructor as well as a USBC Ambassador.
As a USBC coach, instructor and international ambassador, Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno helps others bowl better, trains coaches and spreads the good word about the sport of bowling on a global scale.
But Nepomuceno let the world know that he continues to be a dominant player on the lanes, too.
Nepomuceno won the South Pacific Classic held in Melbourne, Australia, in September, prevailing over 150 international bowlers. A few days after winning that prestigious tournament, Nepomuceno achieved a rare feat by rolling two perfect games in seven days.
After rolling a 300 in the Masters finals of the Singapore Open on Sept. 29, Nepomuceno duplicated the feat on Oct. 6 in the Masters finals of the ITBA Open in Imus, Cavite in the Philippines.
In winning his second South Pacific Classic title, Nepomuceno became the only non-Australian bowling athlete to accomplish that feat. The left-hander's first South Pacific Classic championship came in 1984. Nepomuceno was honored with a Philippine Senate resolution for his recent South Pacific Classic victory, his 118th career bowling title.
"Bowling has been my passion," said Nepomuceno, a native Filipino who lives in Manila with his wife, Saira Puyat, managing director of the AMF-Puyat bowling center chain, and their three children, Rafael Jose Jr., Saira Margarita Paz and Isabel Angela. "I have been bowling for almost four decades and will continue to bowl as long as I can."
Paeng, now 50, shows no signs of slowing down. He has won 118 bowling titles worldwide.
"Not even my age is going to slow me down. One of the reasons why I am still in great shape is because of my fitness regimen. I work out at the gym four to five times a week, I go cycling and swimming for my cardiovascular activity when not in the gym."
Nepomuceno is a six-time world bowling champion who is widely regarded as the greatest international bowler in the sport's history. Nepomuceno was named Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (bowling's world governing body) Bowling Athlete of the Millennium in 1999. He has won a record four World Cup championships in three different decades. Nepomuceno is a USBC Level I and Bronze Instructor who teaches Level I and Bronze classes in the Philippines and Asia. The coaches he trains and certifies through the USBC program will in turn develop bowlers in that region.