Age is just a number for Filipino world bowling great Paeng Nepomuceno. Courtesy of Paeng Nepomuceno
New decade, new accomplishment -- and with it a refreshed Guinness record -- for Paeng Nepomuceno.
Guinness World Records again acknowledged Nepomuceno as the bowler with the most career tenpin titles, after he extended his record to 133, the Filipino sports legend confirmed to ABS-CBN News on Sunday.
He secured his most recent victory at the Playdium Tenpin Bowling Association mixed open in July in Quezon City.
Guinness finally made the feat official when it sent a certificate to Nepomuceno, who was also credited as the oldest masters champion for that mixed open win. He was 62 at the time.
"I am happy and proud to have been able to bring this honor to our country once again. I am doubly happy to bring some good news to our countrymen," he said.
This was the second update to a feat Nepomuceno achieved in September 2007, when he won the South Pacific Classic tournament in Melbourne, his record-breaking 118th career title. Guinness made that accomplishment official in July 2008.
Guinness revisited that mark after Nepomuceno topped the ABC-Boysen Open in Greenhills, San Juan, in March 2012, his 124th title. The organization made the record official in March 2013.
Currently an adviser to the Philippine men's and women's national bowling team, Nepomuceno has other records recognized by Guinness.
He became the youngest world tenpin champion, when as a 19-year-old he ruled the 1976 World Cup in Tehran.
He has won the most world bowling titles accomplished in three different decades -- the World Cup in 1976, 1980, 1992 and 1996.
Nepomuceno has also bagged titles in 6 different continents.
In 1999, World Bowling, the sport's international governing body, named him "international bowling athlete of the millennium."
"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 to the sport," the FIQ, the former name of World Bowling, said in a statement at the time.
As a testament to his longevity and consistency, Nepomuceno has been honored by 5 different Philippine presidents: the Presidential Medal of Merit under Ferdinand Marcos in 1984; a presidential citation during Corazon Aquino's term in 1989; a number of courtesy calls to Fidel Ramos for winning 2 World Cups and 2 Philippine athlete of the year awards; the Philippine Legion of Honor through Joseph Estrada in 1999, a first for an athlete; and the Order of Lakandula with the class of Champion for Life under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2008.
In 1993, Nepomuceno became the first male bowler to be inducted into the world bowling hall of fame.
In the same year, he was the first athlete to be enshrined in the Philippine Sportswriters Association hall of fame.