JB Koo, Allan Hooi Siew Yuen and Edward Lim did something extraordinary at a time when, with the exception of badminton, Malaysia had never become world champions in any other sport.
Their story is captivating because before the tournament in Manila, they bowled six games every morning for six months at Federal Bowl in Kuala Lumpur before going to work, at their own expense.
Through the decades, the trio inspired a new generation of keglers, together with the likes of Dr PS Nathan, who holds the fort for the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) until today.
Hooi died peacefully at his home in Ampang Hilir yesterday morning. He had celebrated his 80th birthday in April.
His wife, Grace, said: “Allan embodied the early golden era in Malaysian bowling, and his achievements, together with his teammates, were pure joy for the nation.”
She said her husband’s love for the sport remained strong over the years, and before the Covid-19 pandemic, he used to be a regular at Sunway Mega Lanes at Sunway Pyramid, where he was a director.
Hooi was known to test the lanes regularly to ensure the oiling patterns and conditions were in top condition.
Grace recalled the time when she and her two-year-old daughter, Geraldine, were at Subang airport to greet the world champions in 1979.
“I was so proud of Allan, who regarded it as a great honour to play for the nation, and every day of bowling was a joy to him,” she said.
Koo, Hooi and Lim were world-beaters, but upon their return from Manila, the heroes missed the strident beats of the kompang and the appreciative pat on the back from the government.
The press reported that only a handful of MTBC members were present, with sports ministry representatives glaringly absent.
National spotlight only fell on them when former prime minister Hussein Onn later presented medals to them, and Koo was picked as the 1979 national sportsman of the year.
It was a three-bagger (three strikes in a row) because Shirley Chow was the national sportswoman of the year, while Koo, Hooi and Lim bagged the team (under six players) award.
At the ninth Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ) championships, the Malaysians won the title with a total haul of 3,582 pinfalls, with the US being the runners-up (3,564) followed by France (3,561).
Koo, then a 25-year-old cigarette company executive, was instrumental in the Malaysian victory with 1,358 pins, with Hooi and Lim returning 1,139 and 1,085 respectively.
He just failed to equal the world record by two pins, and finished third in the individual event.
It was no fluke because a year earlier, the trio, along with Nathan and Holloway Cheah, won the Bangkok Asian Games gold medal, the first time bowling was played at the games.
In an article titled “Sports Flame – Stories Never Told Before”, Koo recollected the stress and fun they experienced in Bangkok.
He said after the first break of the five-man team event, Malaysia were leading the host nation by 144 pins, when team captain Nathan stopped them from returning to their hotel.
Nathan, who was also the MTBC president, told them they were not allowed to have a change of outfits.
Koo wrote: “As it was pointless travelling all the way to their hotel, I requested we have a bath at a nearby hotel massage parlour and MTBC pays for the shower.
“We returned to the bowling venue and continued our game in the same sweaty outfits.
“In the ensuing marathon session, we went on to capture Malaysia’s first gold medal in the Asian Games. The only other gold was won by Saik Oik Cum in the 400m athletics.”
For their sterling performance, the late Mohamed Rahmat, the chef-de-mission, promised the players a bottle of champagne.
Khoo told him that the one bottle he was offering was just good enough for him. “On reaching our hotel rooms, there were three bottles waiting for us to celebrate,” he said.
Long before all that, Hooi was part of the 1970 Malaysia team that took regional bowling by storm, capturing eight gold medals out of nine at the Asian FIQ championships in Hong Kong.
The other members of the team then were Johnny Kim, Allan Lee, OB Lim, Patrick Soh and YK Thong.
Their victory brought fame to the country, and gave bowling a tremendous boost.
Malaysia strengthened its position as a bowling power when Hooi won the Asian Masters title twice in 1971 and 1972, giving more thrust to the development and popularity of the sport.
The winning mindset of Hooi and the players from his era was a result of working on their own to test their skills in the international arenas, rather than depend on handouts.
Hooi’s funeral service will be held at Nirvana 2 on Aug 14 at 10am followed by the cremation at Nirvana crematorium in Shah Alam.