By Keith Legarde | October 14, 2021
By Keith Legarde | October 14, 2021
AFTER the Tokyo Olympics 2021 has concluded, one name is retained in the Filipinos’ minds: Margielyn Didal. She is a Filipino skateboarding athlete who participated in the skateboarding women’s street event on July 26 at the Ariake Urban Sports Park. She finished her tricks landing at seventh place in the top eight 20-skater field eliminations in advancement to the medal round. However, despite being in seventh place, the skateboarder captured not only the spot to the eliminations, but also the public's attention as her bright smile and positive attitude was noticed and instantly went viral in social media..
From Start to Finish
Didal started competing at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta where she bagged the gold medal and garnered a total score of 7.52 from her run phase and second trick. This was followed by the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, standing at the top spot. Lastly, she participated in the 2021 World Street Skateboarding Championships in Rome where Didal qualified for the finals that ensured her Olympic debut of women’s skateboarding from her ranking alone.
Tricks on the Olympics
Beginning her tricks with a 2.33 from her first 45-second run (following the score of 2.22 in the second attempt), Didal secured the sixth spot overall after the run phase. However, during the opening of the tricks section, the young skateboarder had a failed attempt but rode through the tricks with a record of 2.97.
Despite the push through, Didal suffered signs of injury from the fall with three straight failed attempts during the last three rounds. Japan’s representative, Momiji Nishiya, dominated with a score of 15.26; followed by Rayssa Leal of Brazil with a 14.64, with the two thirteen-year-olds taking home a 1-2 finish. Finishing the scoreboard is Funa Nakayama with a score of 14.49, making the Japanese athlete bring home the bronze medal.
Skating through smiles
Despite the ups and downs of the event, the Filipina athlete kept her positive attitude, showing up not only in the rankings, but also in the hearts of her countrymen. The young skateboarder kept her smile and held her head high throughout the event that even the Olympics itself had to swoon over Didal’s smile.
In Tokyo Olympics’ official twitter account, a photo of Didal raising a thumbs up with an unwavering smile was tweeted on July 26 with the caption: “This will be known as the Margielyn Didal seal approval,” followed by two Philippine flag emojis.
Personalities and celebrities had to express their happiness from Didal’s contagious attitude as the Frontline Pilipinas anchor Gretchen Ho acknowledged her character through a tweet on July 26 with the caption: “Final Scores. Margielyn Didal finishes the #Tokyo 2020 #Olympics Street #Skateboarding Finals at 7th Place. [I] love her character. She fought through a sprain last Saturday that got aggravated in the 2nd run in the prelims. Here she is, still flashing a wide smile. Salamat, Margie!”
However, it doesn't end in the local scene. Hazan, a reporter from a Brazilian sports website with 84.3 thousand followers featured her on a tweet. “Luscas”, a social media personality with a 7-million reach, also tweeted a photo of Didal with a caption translating to the word: “legend.”
Park Through Parks
With Didal’s journey through the ranks, despite falling short, she was able to make friends with her fellow athletes. Despite the loss, Didal’s positive attitude and energetic personality made Filipinos and Olympic fans alike love her as well as leaving memorable performances that made Didal a social media favorite. Big brands like New Balance have also partnered with her to release a shoe collaboration inspired by herself and her bubbly personality. Clearly, there is more to come for Margielyn Didal even after her Olympic journey - all thanks to her genuinity as a person and her attitude as a Filipino athlete.
Volume 27 | Issue 1