Biboy shelves plans to retire, eyes SEAG

MANILA, Philippines - Reconsidering his earlier plan to “retire” from the national team, bowling champ Biboy Rivera will continue to wear the Philippine colors and spearhead the country’s campaign in next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia.

Rivera, fresh from a gold medal feat in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China and a bronze medal performance in the World Cup in France, agreed to stay with the team after the Philippine Bowling Congress offered a more “flexible” training arrangement suited for his personal plans.

“The PBC and the team management committee requested me to be with the team to the SEA Games. They say it would be alright if I don’t join them in (the team’s regular) training (regimen) and instead train under my personal coach,” Rivera said in a radio interview.

“The arrangement suits me because this will afford me more flexibility in my schedule, allowing me to attend to my business and have more rest, too, while training. I thought hard about it and found the compromise acceptable so I agreed to their request,” added the bowling ace, who maintains a chicken Inasal restaurant with teammate Chester King.

With a painful knee bothering him every now and then, the 36-year-old kegler had earlier planned to make the Guangzhou Asiad his “swan song” for the Phl team.

“My real plans back then was to step down from the Phl team. But I’ll still be training under my personal coach, on my own time, and compete in a number of tournaments internationally, although not under the national team,” he said.

Relieved from the tougher grind of Phl team training, Rivera will prepare on his own not only for the SEAG in November but for major international tournaments. Events in the pipeline are the first Bowling World Tour beginning February with stops in Reno, Nevada, France, Kuwait, and Italy, among others.

“This will be a very tough competition considering that pros from the US, Japan, and Korea will be participating. It will be a big achievement if we make our presence felt there,” said Rivera.

And of course, the 2011 edition World Cup is in the crosshairs of the Pinoy star, the world masters champion in 2006.

“It’s really one of my goals to win the World Cup title,” he said.