Cebu skateboarding community hopes Didal’s win will give sport more support

CEBU’S skateboarding community is rejoicing over the victory of Cebuana Margielyn Didal in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia yesterday.

Didal topped the women’s street skate event yesterday afternoon at the Jakabaring Sports Complex for the country’s fourth gold medal in the quadrennial meet.

With the victory, the Cebu Skateboarding Association hopes that skateboarding will now be given the exposure it deserves not only in Cebu but in the entire country.

“The whole skateboarding community is so proud of Margielyn and we are so happy for her. She truly brought honor not only to the Cebuanos but to the entire nation,” the Cebu Skateboarding Association said in a statement sent to Cebu Daily News. “We hope this would bring in more support for skateboarding here in Cebu.”

The group said that there are a lot more talented Cebuano skateboarders who can follow the footsteps of Didal and that the skatepark that Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña promised to build at the South Road Properties will be a big help in honing the skills of those skateboarders.

“[Didal] was able to achieve gold [even if] we don’t even have a skatepark here. What more if we did. There’s so much potential in Cebuano skateboarders. We just need a little support so all that talent does not go to waste.”

Osmeña, in a post on his Facebook page, congratulated Didal and reiterated the plan to build a skate park in Cebu City.

“Because the awareness raised by people like you, Cebu City will be building a skate park in the SRP. My sister is personally donating 5M to your cause,” he said in the post. “Soon, people like you will finally have a place that is safe, free from traffic, and able to call your own.”