Nepomuceno eyed to lead bowl body

Paeng Nepomuceno, the only bowler to win four World Cup crowns, may soon add another feather to his hat.

The 51-year-old Nepomuceno is being groomed as the next president of the Philippine Bowling Congress, which will hold its biennial elections on Jan. 18.

Steve Hontiveros, the long-time PBC president who once headed the FIQ (International Bowling Federation), said he will endorse Nepomuceno for the top post.

“He would unify the sport because he’s our hero in bowling,” said Hontiveros, the secretary-general of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Hontiveros had originally planned to endorse Philip Rillos as his successor, but Bong Coo, the PBC sec-gen and a champion bowler herself, wants someone else, Nitoy Tamayo.

Hontiveros said to avoid disunity among PBC members it would be better for him to endorse someone acceptable to everyone.

Nepomuceno, he said, is the man.

The left-handed bowler, who’s been included in the Guinness Book of World Records for his feats, could not be contacted as of presstime.

He won his first World Cup as a 19-year-old in Tehran in 1976, and followed it up with another big win in Jakarta in 1980.

Nepomuceno, named Athlete of the Year by the Philippine Sportswriters Association a number of times, also won in Le Mans, France in 1992, and in Belfast, North Ireland in 1996.

He also stands as the only bowler to win the World Cup crown in three different decades, a testament to his durability as a top-notch bowler.

Under his name in the Guinness Book are his feats for the most number of World Cup wins, being the youngest WC champion ever, and having the most number of bowling titles which now stand at 118.   – Abac Cordero