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 and won a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games.
Early life and family.
Margielyn Didal was born on 19 April 1999 in Cebu City, Philippines to Lito and Julie Didal. Her father is a carpenter while her mother is a sidewalk vendor selling kwek kwek. She is the second youngest child among five siblings.
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. 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. Didal's parents were initially skeptical of Didal pursuing a career in skateboarding but later supported her decision.
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. 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.
Sometime in 2014, she injured her right arm 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.
Street League Skateboarding.
Didal would later compete in tournaments abroad and secured sponsors. She became the first Filipino skateboarder to compete in the Street League Skateboarding when she participated in the SLS PRO Open in London, England on May 26, 2018. In the preliminary round, she finished fourth and advanced to the final round to finish eight overall.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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. 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. She scored 14.2 points in her first two runs and garnered the highest points in the fourth run scoring 8.9 points, by performing the backside 50/50, 360-degree flip out for the first time in a major competition. It was the biggest points in the whole women's street park event.
Following her achievement, she was named as the flag bearer of the Philippine delegation for the closing ceremony of the games. As a gold medalist in the Games she will be entitled to of bonuses, which she plans to use to help her family start a business.
Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña reiterated earlier plans for his city saying that his sister has pledged a 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. As of January 2020, talks are regarding the possible construction of the skate park are still being held.
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.
South East Asian Games.
During the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, Didal won two gold medals in women's Game of Skate and street skateboarding.
2020 Summer Olympics.
Margielyn Didal aims to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo where skateboarding is one of the contested sports. However the COVID-19 pandemic has hampered her bid to qualify for the Games.
Didal had her own custom-skate park built in Soul Sierra, Cebu City which first opened in early 2021 which became the training venue of the Philippine national skateboarding team which includes herself.
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. Didal was also given the Asia Skater of the Year award for 2020.
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.