Margielyn Didal

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Arda and the surname or paternal family name is Didal.

Margielyn Didal

Margielyn Didal in 2021 at V&G Grounds in Consolacion.
Personal information
Full name	Margielyn Arda Didal[1]
Nickname	Margie
Nationality	Filipino
Born	(1999-04-19) April 19, 1999 (age 25)[2] Cebu City, Philippines
Occupation	Professional skateboarder
Weight	108 lb (49 kg)
Sport
Country	Philippines
Sport	Skateboarding
Style	Street
Coached by	Daniel Bautista
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	7th (2020)
National finals	2019 Philippine National Skateboarding Championship: Women's street; Gold
Medal record Women's skateboard Representing  Philippines Event 1st 2nd 3rd Asian Games 1 0 0 Southeast Asian Games 2 0 0 Total 3 0 0 Asian Games 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Street[3] Southeast Asian Games 2019 Philippines Game of skate 2019 Philippines Street

Margielyn Arda Didal (born April 19, 1999) is a Filipino professional street skateboarder who rose to fame when she competed in the X Games Minneapolis 2018^[4] and won a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games.

Early life and family

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

Career

Early years

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 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 he recognized her talent.^[8] In 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,^[2] and in December of the same year she severely sprained her right ankle, her dominant foot. The effect of the latter injury lingered for some years. To manage the ankle sprain, Didal underwent months of therapy at Cardia Olympia and 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 secure sponsors.^[8] She became the first Filipino skateboarder to compete in Street League Skateboarding when she participated in the SLS PRO Open in London, England^[2] on May 26, 2018.^[9] In the preliminary round, she finished fourth and advanced to the final round to finish eighth overall.^[9]

Due to her performance in the SLS, a local wrote a letter to Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña asking him to build a skate park in the city.^[9] Osmeña responded that if Cebu City won the 2018 Philippine National Games, half of the prize money would be allotted for a sports and skating park at the South Road Properties.^[11]

In the 2019 SLS World Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Didal reached the semifinals, becoming the first representative of the Philippines to do so along with Christiana Means. Didal failed to advance to the finals, finishing 14th overall with 20 points.^[12]

X Games

Didal was invited to compete at the X Games, becoming the first competitor to formally represent the Philippines in the games. She participated in the 2018 X Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States.^[2]

2018 Asian Games

Senator Manny Pacquiao with Didal and her Asian Games medal.

Didal competed for the Philippines in the women's street skateboarding event. 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 most 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] She earned the most points in the 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.^[18][19] As of January 2020, talks 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]

2020 Tampa Pro Womens Open Finals

Didal finished 3rd at the 2020 Tampa Pro Women's Open Finals in Florida.

2020 Summer Olympics

Didal qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where skateboarding made its Olympic debut.^[23] Competing in the women's street event, Didal advanced to the finals, placing 7th.^[24]

Didal had her own custom skate park built in Soul Sierra, Cebu City. It first opened in early 2021 and became the training venue of the Philippine national skateboarding team, including herself.^[25][26]

2022 Red Bull Skate Level

In October 2022, Didal competed at the Red Bull Skate Level. However she sustained a fractured left ankle and undergo surgery. Consequentially, she missed two qualifying events for the 2024 Summer Olympics as well. By July 2023, she has recovered enough to be able to perform a 360 flip.^[27]

2022 Asian Games

Didal returns to the Asian Games in the 2022 edition in Guangzhou, China to defend her title in street after being sidelined for around 11 months.^[28] She was able to advance to the final round of the women's street event of the games postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[29] A hobbling Didal finished last among eight skaters in the final, unable to finish the last three of five tricks^[30]

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.^[31] Didal was also given the Asia Skater of the Year award for 2020.^[32][33]

Personal life

Didal is a member of the LGBT community, saying in an interview with ABS-CBN that her parents accept her identity.^[34] She has a girlfriend, named Jozel, with whom she has been in a relationship for eight years as of February 2023. In February 2023, the two got engaged.^[35] 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 Siswojo of the 8Five2 skateshop as her inspiration in skateboarding.^[7]

In popular culture

Didal's life story was dramatized in an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya, a drama anthology series, aired in 2018 on ABS-CBN. She was portrayed by Elisse Joson.^[36] Beyond the Board, a documentary film featuring her biography and skateboarding career was released in 2024.^[37]

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. "DIDAL Margielyn". Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
3. "Skateboarder Margielyn Didal wins 4th gold for Philippines". Philippine Star. August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
4. "Meet Margielyn Didal, the Philippines' lone bet in this year's X Games". ESPN5. July 20, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
5. "A full turn for Didal". Sun Star Cebu. September 4, 2018. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
6. Manglinong, Dan (August 30, 2018). "Margielyn Didal's gold medal is a wakeup call to recognize skateboarding as a sport". InterAksyon. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
7. Knott, Kylie (January 28, 2020). "Filipino 2020 Olympics skateboarding contender Margie Didal on the boarder vibe, growing up with nothing, and giving back". South China Morning Post. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
8. Sarmenta, Yoyo. "Margie Didal's remarkable journey from streets of Cebu to centerstage in Palembang". ESPN5. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
9. Villaruel, Emmanuel (June 22, 2018). "From Europe to US Cebu's pride Didal braces for X-Games". Philippine Star. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
10. Go, Beatrice (November 28, 2019). "Injured Margielyn Didal still out to skate for double gold". Rappler. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
11. "Cebu to establish Sports Park at SRP". The Philippine Star. June 1, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
12. "Go For Gold skateboarders show promise in Tokyo qualifier". Philippine Star. January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
13. "Margielyn Didal's uphill climb to Asian Games gold". ABS-CBN Sports. August 30, 2018. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
14. Co, Adrian Stuart (August 30, 2018). "Cebuana skater nets PH's 4th gold in Asian Games". Panay News. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
15. "Cebuana wins gold in skateboarding". Sun Star Cebu. August 29, 2018. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
16. Naredo, Camille (August 30, 2018). "'Kulit-kulit lang': Nerves not an issue for skateboarding's golden girl in Asian Games". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
17. Marquez, CJ (August 30, 2018). "Gold medalist Didal is PH's flag bearer at Asian Games closing ceremony". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
18. "Osmeña pledges Cebu skate park after Margie Didal's gold medal". Politiko Visayas. August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
19. Diaz, Ray Charlie (August 29, 2018). "Cebu skateboarding community hopes Didal's win will give sport more support". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
20. "Didal rules inaugural national skateboarding championship". Manila Bulletin. July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
21. "SEA Games: Margielyn Didal scoops skateboarding gold". ABS-CBN News. December 5, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
22. "Didal determined to see her Olympic push through". BusinessWorld. January 13, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
23. Matel, Philip (June 9, 2021). "Skateboarder Margielyn Didal tenth Filipino athlete to qualify for Tokyo Olympics". ESPN. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
24. Lozada, Bong (July 26, 2021). "Margielyn Didal finishes 7th in street skate as Tokyo Olympics bid ends". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
25. Lozada, Bong (April 21, 2021). "With new skatepark, Margielyn Didal intensifies build up for Tokyo bid". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
26. Mangubat, Lio. "How this veteran skateboarder created Margielyn Didal's secret skate park". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
27. Bolima, Martin Dale (July 8, 2023). "One step at a time: Eight months after surgery, Margielyn Didal looks primed to restart Olympic bid". One Sports. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
28. Dioquino, Delfin (September 22, 2023). "Margielyn Didal trying to regain top form after injury for Asian Games title defense". Rappler. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
29. Navarro, June (September 26, 2023). "Asian Games: Margielyn Didal advances to skateboarding final". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
30. Dioquino, Delfin (September 27, 2023). "Hobbling Margielyn Didal stumbles in Asian Games title defense". Rappler. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
31. Ramos, Marjaleen (December 10, 2018). "Filipino skateboarder among TIME's Most Influential Teens of 2018". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
32. "Margielyn Didal nominated for Asia Skater of the Year". Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
33. Giongco, Mark (March 3, 2021). "Margielyn Didal wins inaugural Asia Skater of Year award". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
34. "'About time': Margielyn Didal one with LGBTQ+ Olympic athletes unleashing a rainbow wave". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
35. "Margielyn Didal is engaged to longtime partner Jozel Manzanares!". GMA Network. February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
36. "BALIKAN: Buhay ni Margielyn Didal, muling ipapalabas ng 'MMK'" [Relieve: Life of Margielyn Didal, to be shown again in 'MMK']. ABS-CBN News (in Tagalog). August 18, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
37. Villanueva, Ralph Edwin (June 23, 2024). "Didal tries to renew love for skateboarding". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 23, 2024.