Paeng Nepomuceno

Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno (born January 30, 1957 in Manila) is a Filipino and is a 6-Time World Bowling Champion and is acknowledged as the greatest international bowler in the history of the sport. He has won the World Cup of Bowling four times in three different decades:

• In Tehran, Iran on November 19, 1976
• In Jakarta, Indonesia on November 1, 1980
• In Le Mans, France on November 8, 1992
• In Belfast, Northern Ireland on November 23, 1996

Nepomuceno's two other world titles are from winning the World's Invitational Tournament which was participated by the World's best bowlers and was held in Sam's Town bowling center in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 8, 1984 which was a global event to showcase the sport in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Paeng also won the World Tenpin Masters championship in London, England on March 7, 1999. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for three records: 1) for being the only athlete in the world to win world titles in three different decades- 70's,80's and the 90's, 2) for being the youngest ever to win the Bowling World Cup (at 19 years of age), and 3) for having won the most number of career championship titles worldwide. In total, Paeng has won 118 career international championship tournament titles in five continents. Paeng who still actively competes up to this day is the only bowling athlete to have won championship titles in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Paeng is the Philippines' most decorated athlete. He is the only bowling athlete in the world who has received the prestigious International Olympic Committee President's Trophy which is the highest sports award that can be given to an athlete. Paeng was the first international male bowling athlete to be enshrined in the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum based in St. Louis, Missouri in 1993 and his seven foot image is displayed at the entrance of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame .In November 1999, the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ) named Paeng as the "International Bowling Athlete of the Millennium."

In a ceremony held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates during the World Championships, an FIQ official cited Paeng with these words: "No international bowling athlete is more deserving of recognition than Paeng. In addition to his long list of well-known achievements as a world champion in three decades, Paeng truly has been and continues to be an extraordinary ambassador for Filipino sport."

Paeng is the only athlete in the Philippines who has been given the highest award to a Filipino by three Philippine presidents. In 1984, Paeng was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit by President Ferdinand E. Marcos. In 1999, President Joseph E. Estrada awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor and in 2008, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded Paeng, the Order of Lakandula with Class of Champion for Life and was declared Best Filipino athlete of all time. Both the Philippine Senate and House of Congress has declared Paeng the "Greatest Philippine Athlete of All Time".

In its September 2003 issue, the Prestigious Bowlers Journal International named Paeng as the Greatest International Bowler of All Time.

Paeng was named Athlete of the Century by the Philippine Sportswriters Association in the end of 1999 and Athlete of the Millennium in 2000. He was also named Philippine Athlete of the year 5 times by the Philippine Sportswriters Association which is a record in most number of times named Athlete of the Year. He was the first athlete to be inducted in the PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Hall of Fame in 1993.

Paeng has been honored by being chosen to be the Philippine Flag Bearer of the Philippine Delegation in various World Games, Asian Games and the South East Asian Games.

Paeng was named World Bowler of the Year three times (1984,1985 and 1992) by the World Bowling Writers. He was also a TOYM awardee for sports in 1978 and he is the youngest up to this date to have received this prestigious award given by the Philippine Jaycees.

At present Paeng has been designated by the USBC (United States Bowling Congress) as its International Bowling Ambassador for Bowling and promotes bowling around the world and he also Certifies Coaches for USBC. He is available for clinics and appearances.

(from www.wikipedia.org)