Margielyn Didal

Margielyn Arda Didal (born 19 April 1999) is a Filipino professional street skateboarder who rose to fame when she competed in the X Games Minneapolis 2018[3] and won a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games.

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Arda and the surname or paternal family name is Didal.
Margielyn Didal
Didal in 2018
Personal information
Full nameMargielyn Arda Didal[1]
Nickname(s)Margie
NationalityFilipino
Born (1999-04-19) 19 April 1999
Cebu City, Philippines
OccupationProfessional skateboarder
Height5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
Weight108 lb (49 kg)
Sport
CountryPhilippines
SportSkateboarding
StyleStreet
Coached byDaniel Bautista
Achievements and titles
National finals
  • 2019 Philippine National Skateboarding Championship: Women's street; Gold

Early life and family

Margielyn Didal was born on 19 April 1999 in Cebu City, Philippines[4] to Lito and Julie Didal.[5] Her father is a carpenter while her mother is a sidewalk vendor selling kwek kwek.[6] She is the second youngest child among five siblings.[7]

Career

Early years

Margielyn Didal started skateboarding with friends at the now-closed Concave Park in Cebu. When the park closed she and her friends struggled to find a new place to skateboard.[8] She has narrated how she and her friends were apprehended by police officers and security guards when they were caught practicing in the streets and in abandoned areas, as well as one account of being barred entry from a shopping mall due to her having a skateboard.[6] Didal's parents were initially skeptical of Didal pursuing a career in skateboarding but later supported her decision.[7]

She approached Daniel Bautista, who would later on be her coach in the 2018 Asian Games, and borrowed boards from Bautista's friends. Bautista said that Didal became better than boys in her area and recognized her talent.[8] In around 2012, Didal started to compete in local tournaments in Cebu City, particularly those organized by Jeson L. Guardo of G-Concepts in Barangay Tisa in Cebu City.[9]

Sometime in 2014, she injured her right arm[4] and in December of the same year severely sprained her ankle of her right foot, her dominant foot. The effect of the latter injury lingered for some years. To managed ankle sprain, Didal underwent months of therapy at Cardia Olympia and underwent intense assessment at the Red Bull High Performance Training Center in Santa Monica, California in July 2019.[10]

Street League Skateboarding

Didal would later compete in tournaments abroad and secured sponsors.[8] She became the first Filipino skateboarder to compete in the Street League Skateboarding when she participated in the SLS PRO Open in London, England[4] on May 26, 2018.[9] In the preliminary round, she finished fourth and advanced to the final round to finish eight overall.[9]

Due to her performance in the SLS, a local through an online open letter address Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña to build a skate park in the city as recognition to Didal's feat.[9] Osmeña then responded that if Cebu City will be the overall champions of the 2018 Philippine National Games, half of the prize money will be allotted for a sports park which will prioritize skateboarding at the South Road Properties.[11]

In the 2019 SLS World Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Didal reached the semifinals becoming the first representatives of the Philippines to do so along with Christiana Means. Didal failed to advance to the final, with only the top eight skater advancing, finishing 14th overall with 20 points.[12]

X Games

Didal was invited to compete at the X Games becoming the first competitor of any gender to formally represent the Philippines in the games. She participated in the 2018 X Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States.[4]

Asian Games

She competed for the Philippines in the women's street skateboarding event in skateboarding. She trained for two months in the United States prior to the event.[13] Didal won the fourth gold for the Philippines at the 2018 Asian Games. In seven attempts Didal accumulated 30.4 points to win the gold while silver medalist Isa Kaya of Japan and bronze medalist Bunga Nyimas of Indonesia accumulated 25 and 19.8 points respectively.[14] She scored 14.2 points in her first two runs[15] and garnered the highest points in the fourth run scoring 8.9 points,[8] by performing the backside 50/50, 360-degree flip out for the first time in a major competition.[16] It was the biggest points in the whole women's street park event.[8]

Following her achievement, she was named as the flag bearer of the Philippine delegation for the closing ceremony of the games.[17] As a gold medalist in the Games she will be entitled to ₱6 million of bonuses, which she plans to use to help her family start a business.[16]

Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña reiterated earlier plans for his city saying that his sister has pledged a ₱5 million donation to build a skate park at the South Road Properties to raise awareness on her and the sport of skateboarding due to Didal's win.[18][19] As of January 2020, talks are regarding the possible construction of the skate park are still being held.[7]

National Championship

Didal participated in the inaugural Philippine National Skateboarding Championship held in Santa Rosa, Laguna in July 2019 where she won the gold medal for the women's street event.[20]

South East Asian Games

During the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, Didal won two gold medals in women's Game of Skate and street skateboarding.[21][22]

Other recognitions

Time magazine included Didal in its list of "25 Most Influential Teens of 2018" recognizing her feat in winning a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games which it said would "cement skateboarding's status as a serious sport" in the Philippines.[23] Didal was also nominated for the Asia Skater of the Year award for 2020.[24]

Personal life

Didal has a girlfriend, named Jozel with whom she has a relationship for five years as of January 2020. Aside from her coach, Bautista, Didal also looks up to Hong Kong national team coach Warren Stuart who is also one of her sponsors and Brian Siwojo of the 8Five2 skateshop as her inspiration in skateboarding.[7]

References
  1. "Daughter of kwek-kwek vendor Margielyn Didal is PHL's latest golden girl". GMA News Online. August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  2. "Skateboarder Margielyn Didal wins 4th gold for Philippines". Philippine Star. August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  3. "Meet Margielyn Didal, the Philippines' lone bet in this year's X Games". ESPN5. July 20, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  4. "DIDAL Margielyn". Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  5. "A full turn for Didal". Sun Star Cebu. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  6. Manglinong, Dan (30 August 2018). "Margielyn Didal's gold medal is a wakeup call to recognize skateboarding as a sport". InterAksyon. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  7. Knott, Kylie (28 January 2020). "Filipino 2020 Olympics skateboarding contender Margie Didal on the boarder vibe, growing up with nothing, and giving back". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  8. Sarmenta, Yoyo. "Margie Didal's remarkable journey from streets of Cebu to centerstage in Palembang". ESPN5. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  9. Villaruel, Emmanuel (22 June 2018). "From Europe to US Cebu's pride Didal braces for X-Games". Philippine Star. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  10. Go, Beatrice (28 November 2019). "Injured Margielyn Didal still out to skate for double gold". Rappler. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  11. "Cebu to establish Sports Park at SRP". The Philippine Star. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  12. "Go For Gold skateboarders show promise in Tokyo qualifier". Philippine Star. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  13. "Margielyn Didal's uphill climb to Asian Games gold". ABS-CBN Sports. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  14. Co, Adrian Stuart (30 August 2018). "Cebuana skater nets PH's 4th gold in Asian Games". Panay News. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  15. "Cebuana wins gold in skateboarding". Sun Star Cebu. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  16. Naredo, Camille (30 August 2018). "'Kulit-kulit lang': Nerves not an issue for skateboarding's golden girl in Asian Games". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  17. Marquez, CJ (30 August 2018). "Gold medalist Didal is PH's flag bearer at Asian Games closing ceremony". CNN Philippines. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  18. "Osmeña pledges Cebu skate park after Margie Didal's gold medal". Politiko Visayas. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  19. Diaz, Ray Charlie (29 August 2018). "Cebu skateboarding community hopes Didal's win will give sport more support". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  20. "Didal rules inaugural national skateboarding championship". Manila Bulletin. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  21. "SEA Games: Margielyn Didal scoops skateboarding gold". ABS-CBN News. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  22. "Didal determined to see her Olympic push through". BusinessWorld. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  23. Ramos, Marjaleen (10 December 2018). "Filipino skateboarder among TIME's Most Influential Teens of 2018". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  24. "Margielyn Didal nominated for Asia Skater of the Year". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 2 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
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